Congress His National Industrial Recovery Act example essay topic

The Great Depression had battered the nation and the economic situation was desperate. During Herbert Hoover's presidency, more than half of all Americans were living below the poverty line. Herbert Hoover was an idealist that believed Americans could reach their potential and so he felt that intervention by the federal government would repress the American potential. Roosevelt understood the suffering of his countrymen and introduced economic reforms to alleviate the effects of the depression. First, Roosevelt tackled the most pressing crisis: the bankruptcy of the banks.

Since the start of the Depression, 11,000 of the nation's 25,000 banks had failed, and millions of Americans had lost their life's savings. Roosevelt realized that if he kept the banks open, panicked depositors would withdraw their money and more banks would fail. On March 5, FDR declared a three day 'bank holiday. ' While programs like the helped ease the immediate pain of the Depression, Roosevelt worked to effect more permanent changes on the economy. In May, Congress passed FDR's Agricultural Adjustment Act. The provided aid to farmers who decreased the production of goods, which, the president hoped, would cause farm prices to rise.

Roosevelt sent Congress his National Industrial Recovery Act, which set fair-practice codes for business and industry, established minimum wages and maximum hours, and gave labor the guaranteed right to bargain collectively. The bill quickly became law. In the 'First Hundred Days' of his presidency, FDR pushed through a vast amount of legislation highlighted by a reformed banking program, agricultural aid laws, and a new plan for industrial recovery. To meet the immediate crisis of starvation and the dire needs of the nation's unemployed, FDR provided for direct cash relief for the poor, and established the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration. Thousands of men throughout the country began working to build bridges, roads, and sewage systems and to plant trees. His Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) guaranteed the bank savings of American families.

By the end of his second term, Roosevelt had institutionalized the role of the federal government as the economic patron and stimulator of the American economy. The Roosevelt legislation machine could stop a bank panic, put thousands of Americans back to work, and give people the right to have a drink, but it could not end the Depression. In fact, the pace with which legislation was crafted during the Hundred Days made some New Deal programs ungainly, ineffective, and susceptible to court challenge. In 1935, the Supreme Court struck down the National Recovery Administration, and later the Agricultural Adjustment Act, declaring that the regulation of agriculture was the field of the individual states. Despite being at the mercy of government when the stock market crashed and the Great Depression set in, Herbert Hoover was not the do-nothing president his critics claimed.

He, in fact, entered the presidency with a vast array of programs and reforms designed to address the most pressing issues of the day. His fault lay mainly in his approach. While he went out of his way to encourage businesses and organizations to refine their operations for the betterment of all, he refused to challenge Congress or assert forceful presidential leadership. Further, his firm belief in American individualism blinded him to the necessity for governmental intervention in even the most dire of circumstances. Roosevelt did indeed keep his promise. After his inauguration, Roosevelt and the Democrat-controlled Congress began what was known as the 'First 100 Days.

' During the 'First 100 Days,' 16 pieces of New Deal legislation were passed by Congress. The legislation passed included the following: Civilian Conservation Corps, Federal Emergency Relief Act, Agricultural Adjustment Act, Tennessee Valley Authority, Home Owner's Loan Act, and the National Recovery Act although most of these laws were declared unconstitutional, Roosevelt introduced to Americans the aid they required. Unlike Herbert Hoover, who did not see the terrible situation..