Name:

Unit 7 Interactive Vocab: The Great Depression, FDR, and the New Deal

WORD DEFINITION ANALYSIS1. Great Depression (304) An era, lasting from 1929 to

1940, in which the U.S. economy was in severe decline and millions of Americans were unemployed

What were ONE of the causes of the ‘Great Depression’?

2. Black Tuesday (304) October 29, 1929: the day that the stock market crashed

Preceded by Black Thursday (October 24, 1929) where stocks declined, people sold of shares, and top bankers met on Friday October 25 and bought stocks above current market prices to stop decline

What practices led to the stock market crash? (How were people buying stocks?)

3. Speculation (304) Practice of making high risk investments in hopes of obtaining large profits

Investors speculating on stocks with money they didn’t really have is one cause of the Great Depression

What was happening in the 1920s stock market that made speculation seem like a good idea? (term from Unit 6 Vocab)

4. Herbert Hoover (301) 31st President of the United States (Republican)

Led the country during the beginning of the Great Depression

Believed it is NOT the role of government to step in and help people

Why was Hoover blamed for the Depression? (What was his view on the role of government?)

5. Hawley-Smoot Tariff (305) Highest import tax in U.S. history Attempt to protect domestic

industries from foreign imports (help U.S. business)

Backfired because Europe raised their tariffs, thus leading to a slowdown in international trade

Why was this tariff so devastating for European countries?

6. Dust Bowl (311-313) A natural disaster in the Great Plains

Experienced an extended drought in 1930’s that turned soil to dust

Lasted for decades, leaving many farmers without work or substantial (livable) wages

Farmers driven from homes and many went to California

What would happen to all these farmers moving to California?

7. John Steinbeck (345) Writer who recorded the misery of the Great Depression

Wrote Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath (both about Dust Bowl migration)

His novel, The Grapes of Wrath, was the best-selling novel of 1939

What do you think the tone of the Grapes of Wrath was, if it is based on the Dust Bowl?

8. Dorothea Lange (344) Photographer who documented people's lives during the Depression

Hired by the government to photograph effects of the Great Depression for the Farm Security Administration

The picture provided is one of Dorothea Lange’s most famous images

Have you seen this image before? How do you think the “Migrant Mother” feels?

9. Mexican Repatriation Act (314-15) Authorized by President Hoover Sent Mexican Americans to

Mexico during the Depression since jobs were scarce and non-Mexican Americans needed jobs

Some were deported (sent back unwillingly), others went back to Mexico willingly

Did the Mexican Repatriation Act consider whether or not these Mexican Americans were U.S. citizens? Or deport anyone of Mexican descent?

10. Huey Long (325)

A southern senator who wrote “Share the Wealth”, suggested money should be taken from the rich and re-distributed

Also wanted to increase tax on the wealthy, provide better yearly income for everyone, free education, and free medication

Assassinated in 1935

Do you think Huey Long was a ‘socialist’? Why or why not?

11. Hoovervilles (309) Makeshift communities or shantytowns of the homeless

Do you think it is fair to blame Hoover for the Great Depression?

and unemployed Mockingly named after President

Hoover because they blamed him for Depression

After losing homes, people would make shacks out of leftover building materials in open spaces

Why or why not?

12. Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) (318)

Established in 1932 by Hoover Gave emergency loans to banks

and businesses because Hoover believed cheap loans would spur business

It granted over 2 billion dollars to the local and state governments

Hoover believed the money invested would “trickle down” to average Americans

Too little, too late

How would loaning money to major economic institutions help the economy? (Does this sound familiar to a modern situation?)

13. Bonus Army (319-321) Group of WWI vets that marched to D.C. in 1932 to demand the immediate payment of their government war bonuses in cash

Happened during Hoover’s presidency

General McArthur used tear gas and tanks to push veterans out of DC

Do you think it is right of the veterans to demand immediate payment? Why or why not?

14. Franklin D. Roosevelt (320-322) Elected to four terms in office, he served from 1933 to 1945, and is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms of office

Put people back to work using government funds under his “New Deal” platform

What was his political party? Why would Americans choose someone from this party at this time?

15. Eleanor Roosevelt (320) Wife of FDR Major advocate of human rights,

peace, and political activist Served as FDR’s eyes and ears by

traveling around the U.S.

What did Eleanor Roosevelt do as First Lady to help the U.S.?

16. New Deal (320-324) The name of President Does the New Deal increase or

Roosevelt's program for getting the United States out of the Depression

FDR pledged to “do whatever was needed to help the needy and promote recovery”

decrease the power of the federal government? Why?

17. Deficit Spending (328) A government's spending of more money than it receives in revenue

British Economist John Maynard Keynes argued that deficit spending was needed to end the depression—putting people to work on public projects would put money into the hands of the consumers who would then buy more goods and stimulate the economy

Does our current government practice ‘deficit spending’?

18. First Hundred Days (322) March 9, 1933--Congress began a special session to review recovery and reform laws submitted by the President for Congressional approval

New Deal legislation – the three R’s – Relief, Reform and Recovery

Why do you think most of the legislation was passed in the first 100 days?

19. The “Brain Trust ” (321) College professors, labor leaders, lawyers, and social workers who gave advice on policies

Told or advised FDR to be as creative as possible in developing new strategies and programs to deal with crisis

Why would it be a good idea to ask college professors, labor leaders, lawyers, and social workers for advice?

20. Fireside Chat (322) President F. Roosevelt's use of radio broadcasts to communicate to the people

He explained his policies in simple conversational terms

Presented himself as an optimist in order to restore public confidence

Do you think this helped the public endure or cope with the Depression? How?

21. Emergency Banking Act of 1933 (322)

March 6, 1933 - FDR ordered a bank holiday

What former time period does this legislation seem familiar to?

Many banks were failing because they had too little capital (money), made too many planning errors, and had poor management

Banks were closed and permitted to re-open only after the government found banks to be financially sound

Relief Legislation22. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

(324) Helped conserve natural

resources such as national parks and forests

Gave jobs to young men (250,000 men: ages 18-25), such as planting trees and cleaning up forests

Men lived in camps and received free food

Sent pay to their parents Relief Legislation

Why would men be the only group employed by the CCC?

23. Public Works Administration (PWA) (324, 327)

Began under Hoover and continued under Roosevelt

Provided jobs and income to the unemployed but couldn't work more than 30 hours a week.

Created federal jobs by building public projects such as schools, roads, courts, post offices, and bridges

Relief Legislation

Why was it important to get people back to work, and why building public projects?

24. Agriculture and Adjustment Administration (AAA) (323)

A government agency created because food prices were too low due to overproduction

The AAA tried to combat falling crop prices by paying famers not to plant crops and to destroy crops

Second AAA (1938)- government bought farm surpluses and stored them in warehouse until prices went up

Recovery measure and program

Why would destroying crops help crop prices?

25. Schechter Poultry v. US (1937) (331) U.S. Supreme Court case concerning a New Deal agency (National Industrial Recovery Act

Why would private businesses challenge FDR’s reform and recovery efforts?

and Agricultural Adjustment Act) Claimed President overstepped

his authority in the Constitution Supreme Court held that

Congress could not give the President more power than those granted in the Constitution

Encouraged FDR to try the Court Packing Plan

26. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)(322)

An independent federal agency created by the Glass-Steagall Reform Act

It insured bank deposits up to a certain amount so that people would not lose their savings if a bank failed

Helped put faith back into the banks

Today insures up to $250,000 A Reform program

Why would people not have faith in banks in 1929?

27. Securities Exchange Commission SEC

Federal agency established in 1934 to supervise (watch over) the stock market to prevent fraud and guard against another stock market collapse

Reform legislation

What event that occurred in 1929 was this agency created to prevent from happening in the future?

28. Tennessee Valley Authority (323) An independent government agency

Built a series of dams on the Tennessee river that provided flood control and hydroelectric power to 7 southern states

Brought needed jobs to the region and encouraged investment

Relief and Reform legislation

How would the 7 states be impacted by the TVA?

29. Social Security System (329) Provided workers with unemployment insurance, old age pensions, and insurance for if they die early

Implemented since the elderly

Do you think the Social Security System works well nowadays? Why or why not?

were the largest group in poverty

Both workers and employers pay contributions to fund these benefits and receive them when they reached retirement age

Reform Legislation

30. Wagner Act of 1935 (330) (AKA) National Labor Relations Act—established National Labor Relations Board

Recognized the right of employees to join labor unions and gave workers the right to collective bargaining

Reform Legislation

Why was it still important to protect worker’s rights during the Depression?

31. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (330)

Provided workers with additional rights such as: minimum wage, maximum work week, and made child labor illegal

Minimum wage was originally set at 25 cents and the maximum work week was 44 hours

Should the government be able to set a minimum wage? Why or why not?

32. Mary McLeod Bethune Part of FDR’s Black Cabineto Unofficial African

American advisors who will rise to positions in the Department of the Interior

She became the first African American female to head a federal agency and a special advisor on minority affairs to FDR

What did many of the “black cabinet”, like Mary Bethune, hope FDR would do to affect civil rights in the South?

33. Indian New Deal Part of FDR’s new deal Led by John Collier Reversed old government

policies like the Dawes Act, encouraging tribal practices

Included the Indian Reorganization Act which restored Tribal control over Native American Lands

Do we still have issues affecting the relationship between the federal government and Native Americans today? (If so what?)

34. FDR’s Court Packing Scheme (331) Because the U.S. Supreme Court How would FDR’s court packing

was declaring New Deal Legislation unconstitutional, Franklin Roosevelt proposed a plan to allow the President to add new appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court for each justice over 70 ½

If adopted, Roosevelt could add 6 Justices, giving him control of the U.S. Supreme Court

It never became a law

scheme threaten the ’separation of powers’? (see unit 1 vocab for help)

35. Father Coughlin (325) Catholic priest who used his popular radio program to criticize the New Deal

Wanted nationalization of banks and utilities

Increasingly anti-Roosevelt and anti-Semitic

Catholic Church took him off the air

What is ‘anti-Semitic’ and how does this relate to WWII? (may use Google)