The New Deal

Franklin D. Roosevelt When Roosevelt became president, America was in the middle of the one of the worst crises in modern history: The Great Depression. Soon after he was sworn into office Roosevelt signed The New Deal, which focused on relief, recovery, and reform.Remember, relief means to give help right away. To recover means to get back what was lost, and reform means to change or make something better. What do relief, recovery, and reform mean? Let's practice matching the words and their meanings. Relief To help right away Recovery To get back what was lost Reform To change for the better; to fix Roosevelt wanted to provide relieffor the poor and unemployed. He wanted the economy to recover to its normal levels. Finally, Roosevelt wanted to reform the financial systems so that an economic depression would not happen again. The Social Security Act In 1935, Congress passed the Social Security Act.This act meant that when you get old and you can no longer work, you will need money. Pensions were set up, which allowed workers to save hard-earned money through taxes to use when they retire. The Social Security Act A pension is: A headache Money saved throughout your life to use when you are old Money given to the poor True or False: We still have Social Security today. True False True or False: The Social Security Act was changed many times after its creation. True False Works Progress Administration The Works Projects Administration (WPA) was one part of the New Deal. The goal of this program was to give a job to people who were unemployed.Watch the video then answer the questions that follow. Some WPA projects included the construction of (click all that are correct): Parks Schools Hospitals Bridges The WPA was not only for unskilled workers. Actors, musicians, and writers also benefited from this program through: Federal Theatre Project Federal Writer's Project Federal Music Project National Basketball Association The WPA programs quickly put thousands of unemployed Americans to back to work. This was an example of: Reform Relief Recovery Federal Writer's Project By the 1930's there were not many formerly enslaved African Americans still alive. In order to preserve this history, the Federal Writer's Project's sent writers to the South to record hundreds of these personal stories.Today we have these recordings, and can reach back in time to hear the voice of a woman named Alice Gaston who lived under bondage before the passage of the 13th amendment. The Federal Writers Project: Encouraged kids to write President Roosevelt a letter Sent writers to the South to record stories from formerly enslaved African Amerians Wrote for the New York Times The Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) gave conservation jobs to unemployed young men. Conservation means to save and protect something or someplace from harm. The word conservation means: To save and protect something from harm To destroy the land A document written by our Founding Fathers The CCC was started in 1935. By the 1942 they had planted 3 billion trees, built 205 lodges and museums, and 32,149 wildlifeshelters, and put in 13,000 miles of trails and roads.Shenandoah National Park in Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. During the Great Depression unemployment for blacks was at _ percent, twice the rate of whites. 10 50 75 True or False: The New Deal discriminated against blacks. True False Farm Assistance Programs During World War I, farmers got used to growing a lot of corn and wheat for Americans and soldiers fighting in Europe. After the war was over, the same amount of crops was not needed. Farmers had too much and the price of wheat and corn became worthless. This is where the Farm Assistance Program came in to help farmers earn more money again. The Agricultural Adjustment Act The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was part of the New Deal. They government was trying to balance the supply and demand. The government raised the price of farm products so that farmers could make more money, and also paid farmers not to produce so much food because too much food (surplus) would cause prices to drop. Let's review the key parts of the New Deal Match the term with the correct meaning Social Security Act Set up pensions for workers to save money throughout their life to use when they are old and retired The three R's of Roosevelt's New Deal included Relief, Reform, and Recovery The Works Progress Administration (WPA) Put millions of unemployed people back to work in building roads, bridges, and hospitals Agricultural Adjustment Act When the government paid farmers to not produce as many crops and raised the price of crops to balance supply and demand Civilian Conservation Corps Gave jobs to many young, unemployed men that helped plant trees, protect wildlife, and conserve national parks