President Franklin D.

Roosevelt
Introduction

Background
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the United States.
Served as President: 1933-1945
Vice President: John Nance Garner, Henry Agard Wallace, Harry S. Truman(1920)
Party: Democrat
Age at inauguration: 51
Born: January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York
Died: April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia

Franklin D. Roosevelt most known for

President Roosevelt is most known for leading the United States and the Allied Powers against
the Axis Powers of Germany and Japan during World War II. He also led the country during
the Great Depression and instituted the New Deal which included programs such as Social
Security and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Roosevelt was elected to president for four terms. This is two more terms than any other
president.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

In 1932 the country was in the midst of the Great Depression. People were looking for some
new ideas, leadership, and hope.

The New deal

When Roosevelt entered office as president the first thing he did was to sign a number of new
bills into laws in an effort to fight the Great Depression. These new laws included programs
such as Social Security to help retirees, the FDIC to help secure bank deposits, work programs
such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, new power plants, aid for farmers, and laws to improve
working conditions. Finally, he established the SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) to
help regulate the stock market and hopefully prevent any future collapses in the financial
markets.All of these programs together were called the New Deal. In his first 100 days of being
president, Roosevelt signed 14 new bills into law. This time became known as Roosevelt's
Hundred Days.His newdeal are also known as Alphabatic deal.

 Social security
 Heavier taxes on the wealthy
 New control over banks and public utilities
 Work relief program for the unemployment
Purpose of New deal

Relief To provide jobs for unemployed and to protect farmers from foreclosure.

Recovery to get the economy back into high gear.

Reform To regulate banks, to abolish child labour, and to conserve farm lands.

Emergency Banking Act

One of the first things that President Roosevelt did was to close the banks in what he called a
"bank holiday." Congress then passed a law called the Emergency Banking Act. This law
allowed for banks to reopen under the supervision of the Federal Treasury. It helped to stabilize
the banks and to bring back confidence in the banking system.

Securities Act
The Securities Act of 1933 was passed to help prevent another stock market crash. It required
publicly traded companies to provide accurate information to the public including profits, losses,
and corporate officers of the company.

Public Works

The president began a large program for public works and created the Public Works
Administration (PWA). This program built things like roads, bridges, schools, hospitals,
and dams across the country. These programs provided jobs for many. The Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) also created many jobs for men where they worked on
environmental projects like national parks.
Farm Programs

To help farmers out, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) was put into place. It
helped to improve farming practices, reduced farm production to raise prices, and gave a voice
to farmers in the government.

Housing

In order to get the housing industry going again, two new agencies were formed: the Home
Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The HOLC
was formed to help refinance mortgages and to help people keep their homes. The FHA put
government standards on the construction of homes to make sure that homes were safe. It also
helped to insure mortgages and stabilize the home mortgage market.

Emergency Relief

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration provided help for the unemployed. It built soup
kitchens to feed people, provided blankets to the homeless, lunches for schools, and educated
people on how to find a job.

Second New Deal

Despite several new laws and regulations put into place with the First New Deal, the Great
Depression continued and things weren't getting any better. In 1935, President Roosevelt
decided to try a new round of laws and regulations to fix the economy. The laws passed
between 1935 and 1938 are often referred to as the "Second New Deal."

Social Security

One of the most important aspects of the Second New Deal was the Social Security Act
passed in 1935. This act was made to assist the elderly in retirement. It provided a
pension to retired people, cared for orphans and the disabled, and set up a system of
unemployment insurance. Currently, retirement benefits are paid for by a payroll tax.
Half of the tax is paid by the worker and half by the employer.

Works Progress

In order to help with high unemployment, the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
was formed. The WPA hired unemployed workers to build different public projects such
as airports, schools, roads, parks, and bridges. The WPA hired around 8 million workers
over the next several years.

Labor Relations

In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act was passed by Congress. It guaranteed
unions and workers certain rights. It also established a federal board that would help
both sides come to wage agreements. In 1938, another labor law called the Fair Labor
Standards Act was passed. This law protected workers with a maximum work week (44
hours), a minimum wage (25 cents per hour), and outlawed child labor.

Housing

One of the last new deal agencies established was the United States Housing Authority
of 1937. This agency tore down slums and built new, better housing for the homeless.
Conculsion
Many expert historians, politicians, and economists have different opinions as to whether or not
the New Deal really worked. Because the Great Depression didn't end until the start of World
War II, many experts give credit to the recovery on the new economy generated by the war and
not to the New Deal. Other people argue that many of the programs enacted by the New Deal
(banking reform, stock market reform, Social Security, etc.) are still necessary for a strong
economy and country today. Either way, the New Deal had a significant impact on the country
during the Great Depression and still has an impact today.