Second New Deal example essay topic

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's program of relief, recovery, and reform that aimed at solving the economic problems created by the Depression of the 1930's, was referred to as the New Deal. The Great Society was the name given to the domestic program of the U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson. Both programs had similar yet opposing points. Something had to be done about the banking system disintegration, and the most conservative business leaders were as ready for government intervention as the most advanced radicals (Garraty 765).

It was unquestionably Franklin D. Roosevelt who provided the spark that re energized the American people (Garraty 765). "His inaugural address, delivered in a raw mist beneath dark March skies, reassured the country and at the same time stirred it to action" (Garraty 765). Accepting the 1932 Democratic presidential nomination, Roosevelt said, "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people" (Stevenson 125). "The New Deal included federal action of unprecedented scope to stimulate industrial recovery, assist victims of the Depression, guarantee minimum living standards, and prevent future economic crises" (Stevenson 125). At first, the New Deal was concerned mainly with relief, but the later years-beginning in 1935 and often called the second New Deal-emphasized reform (Stevenson 127). His inaugural captured the heart of the country; almost half a million letters of congratulation poured into the White House (Garraty 765).

A large minority labeled the New Deal a solid success. "Considerable recovery had taken place, but more basic was the fact that Roosevelt, recruiting an army of forceful officials to staff the new government agencies, had infused his administration with a spirit of bustle and optimism" (Garraty 769). Although he wasn't much of an intellectual, his openness to suggestion made him eager to draw on the ideas and energies of experts of all sorts. The New Deal lacked any consistent ideological base. After 1936, the New Deal was thrown increasingly on the defensive (Stevenson 130).

"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that much of the New Deal legislation was unconstitutional, and the presidents proposal to enlarge the court to make it more liberal and therefore more amenable to the legislation caused many members of Congress to desert the president" (Stevenson 130). In addition, a severe recession led many people to turn against the New Deal policies. When World War II erupted in September 1939, Roosevelt grew increasingly reluctant to support reforms that might, by antagonizing conservatives in Congress or by alienating any bloc of voters, jeopardize support for his foreign policy (Stevenson 131). No major New Deal was enacted after 1938.

United States entry into the war provided a temporary solution for many problems that had baffled New Dealers. The war, not the New Deal, triggered massive industrial expansion, brought about full employment, and pushed farm income to new heights (Stevenson 131). The New Deal did, however, lay the foundation for a greater federal commitment to manage the economy and provide a system of programs to aid the poor (Stevenson 131). Existing laws had failed to end the Depression. "Extremists were luring away some of Roosevelt's supporters, and conservatives had failed to appreciate his moderation" (Garraty 776).

The second New Deal led to a "Second Hundred Days". New laws were put into affect; some of them were a new banking act and a public utility act. The former strengthened the control of the Federal Reserve Board over member banks and over commercial credit and interest rates (Garraty 778). The Court, in the end, marked the beginning of the end of the New Deal. Social and economic developments contributed to its decline and the final blow originated in the area of foreign affairs. The Great Society came a while after the New Deal was over.

"As finally passed, the Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination by employers against blacks and also against women" (Garraty 856). During the New Deal, Franklin Roosevelt was accused of exaggeration when he said the one-third of the nation was "ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished" (Garraty 856). In fact, Roosevelt had underestimated the extent of poverty when he made the statement in 1937. "That so many people could be poor in a reputedly affluent society was deplorable but not difficult to explain" (Garraty 856).

The Great Society was defined in Johnson's 1965 State of the Union speech as one in which federally sponsored programs would improve the quality of life for all Americans (Stevenson 136). The idea was associated with Johnson's War on Poverty, launched in 1964. Great Society measures passed by Congress in 1965 included Medicare, federal aid to education and the arts, and the establishment of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (Stevenson 136). Johnson had convinced himself that he could be a reformer in the tradition of Franklin Roosevelt. He declared war on poverty and set out to create a "great society" in which poverty no longer existed. What both points had in common was that both tried to pinpoint the main problem of America and try to fix it.

Roosevelt's way was somewhat unconstitutional, while Lyndon B. Johnson's laws and ways helped create the America we have today.