New Deal example essay topic

The New Deal was a double-edged sword, a necessary evil, if you will. It both helped and hurt America and her people. FDR outlined his New Deal in a Fireside chat on Sunday, May 7, 1933. Trade and commerce were in decline. Over production of crops and goods continued, while demand for exports fell. This lethal combination had led to a nose dive in the prices of basic commodities which led inevitably to farms and factories losing money, and a banking crisis earmarked by mortgage foreclosures, banks calling loans and refusing to issue new ones, and a catastrophic loss of spiritual values and human spirit.

The newly inaugurated President Roosevelt responded with the three R's of relief, recovery and reform. Debt relief and the sale of beer were intended to relieve the monetary distress of farmers, factory workers and home owners, raise employment and increase stability while spreading a little good cheer. An alphabet soup of programs was intended to create jobs and improve the country in general: (Civilian Conservation Corps) and TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) to name just two. They did employ hundreds of thousands of men, protect the forests, prevent floods, and electrify the country side. Reform acts addressed the railroads, the workplace, antitrust laws and the gold standard. While intended to eliminate waste, improve working conditions, control monopolies and prevent the flow of gold out of the country, these laws also left us with red tape and bureaucracy that saddles us to this day.

Then there were his four great objectives of friendly relations, reduction in armaments, reduction of trade barriers and the stabilization of currencies. For all their good intentions, one could argue that his efforts to save money through his policy of disarmament as well as by dropping trade barriers, weakened the USA when it should have been preparing to fight WWII. One could also argue that it was WWII that finally led us out of the great depression, not the New Deal. The life histories capture the viewpoint of several people who lived through the thirties and into the forties. The WPA ROAD and the story of Chalmers Murray depicts one man's struggle amidst the New Deal. "Thrown out of the WPA job, they declare that they could not make a decent living"; .".. the men over 65 were discharged since they were supposedly eligible for social security benefits" (Murray, 1931) The New Deal gave many people meaningful jobs to do, money in their pockets, and some hope for the future.

However, It also left us with today's crises including whether the Social Security System will go bankrupt.

Bibliography

1. Murray, C (2002, March 3) "Brother can you spare a dime".
Online]. memory. loc. gov / am mem / ndlpedu / lessons /98/dime / teacher. html 2. (2002, March 3) "The New Deal Network.