President Franklin D.

Roosevelt’s “New Deal” was the ultimate reform

movement, providing bold reform without bloodshed or revolution. Although
many Americans criticized President Roosevelt for his “try anything” approach
and wasteful spending, Roosevelt saved the American system of free
enterprise by stepping in and actually doing something to help the
unemployed, starving masses during the Great Depression. Before Roosevelt
was elected, the gap between the haves and have-nots was ever-widening and
the country probably would have experienced a revolution if another laissez-
faire president like Hoover had been elected in 1932. When Roosevelt was
elected, he created a series of reforms to deal with the countless problems in
American society; many failed, though some achieved long-lasting success
and exist to this day. The New Deal was the ultimate “revolution” providing
lasting reforms like Social Security and the Fair Labor Standards Act, and
establishing precedents that continue to shape the lives of millions of
Americans to this day.

Roosevelt was a radical president in many ways, expanding Federal power and
establishing numerous precedents that have served to empower the federal
government ever since. Unlike previous presidents, Roosevelt believed that the
American government had an obligation to help its citizens in a crisis.
Roosevelt also felt that doing anything was better than doing nothing and he
was criticized frequently for this. Nonetheless, most of his “alphabet agencies”
served their purposes and provided immediate rather than long-term relief to
over nine million desperate Americans. He started by creating the Civilian
Conservation Corps, or CCC, which provided employment in government
camps for three million young men. These men served doing useful, but (some
would say) unnecessary tasks like reforesting, firefighting, draining swamps,
and controlling floods. The Works Progress Administration, or WPA, was
another extremely helpful agency during the Depression, putting $11 million
dollars into public buildings, bridges, and hard-surfaced roads, creating
millions of new jobs. To the American people who were used to coming into
contact with the government only at the post office and on other infrequent
occasions, Roosevelt’s system was ground-breaking; never before had the
government intervened to help farmers in need (AAA), or homeowners
struggling with mortgages (HOLC), or families starving during the winter
(CWA). Roosevelt had no uncertainties or misgivings about the use of Federal
money to help Americans. If the U.S. government would not help its own
citizens, then who would? Roosevelt also made other revolutionary changes
with his New Deal.

The plight of the worker had always been of concern to Roosevelt, and he did
much during his time as president to improve overall working conditions.
Firstly, Roosevelt set up the National Recovery Administration, or NRA, to
assist labor unions in their struggle against greedy corporations. The NRA, for
the first time in American history, guaranteed the right for labor union
members to choose their own representatives in bargaining. The Fair Labor
Standards Act, or “Wages and Hours Bill”, established maximum hours of
labor, minimum wages, and forbid children under the age of sixteen from
working. By limiting the number of hours a single worker could work,
Roosevelt created new jobs and improved the working conditions for existing
workers. Roosevelt was one of the first Presidents to earnestly fight for the
rights of the average worker. The Fair Labor Standards Act is still in use today
(though the monetary values have been increased to account for seventy years
of inflation), and unions still have the rights that Roosevelt guaranteed to
them with the NRA. Roosevelt, it seemed, went out of his way to ensure that
workers were treated fairly and given their due rights. Roosevelt’s crowning
achievement to Americans was the Social Security Act, which he signed in
1935, creating the pension, insurance for the old-aged, the blind, the
physically handicapped, delinquent, and other dependents by taxing
employees and employers; in essence, Americans were providing for their own
futures. Social Security still exists today, and though some people oppose it, it
no doubt provides a valuable service to people unable to care for themselves
—which was Roosevelt’s strong point: appealing to the “forgotten man”.
However, he had yet another lasting achievement that truly revolutionized
America.

After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, it became apparent that speculation and
overselling stocks and bonds were key causes of the crash. Roosevelt passed
the Federal Securities Act to encourage honesty during the sale of stocks and
bonds; promoters were required to transmit to the investor sworn information
regarding the soundness of their investments. While many crooked
businessmen hated Roosevelt for this, many historians argue that his wise
actions saved the American system from untimely demise. With the passage of
this Act, Roosevelt encouraged fairer trading and less speculation, which
ultimately revitalized the American economy.

Roosevelt was a revolutionary for his time. He challenged the accepted role of
government in society by intervening to improve the quality of life for
countless Americans. Though his actions were controversial, it is clear that
they had a positive effect on American society. Ultimately, though, it would
take World War II to lift the American economy out of the Great Depression;
Roosevelt’s New Deal served to satisfy the American people’s demands for
action until America joined the war in 1941.