Studied by 18 peopleterm used by FDR in 1932 acceptance speech that came to describe his whole reform program
New Deal
FDR's reform-minded intellectual advisers, who conceived much of the New Deal legislation
Brain Trust
popular term for the special session of Congress in early 1933 that passed vast quantities of Roosevelt-initiated legislation
Hundred Days Congress
the early New Deal agency that worked to solve the problems of unemployment and conservation by employing youth in reforestation and other socially beneficial tasks
Civil Conservation Corps (CCC)
large federal employment program, established in 1935 under Harry Hopkins, that provided jobs in areas from road building to art
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
widely displayed symbol of the National Recovery Administration (NRA), which attempted to reorganize and reform U.S. industry
Blue Eagle
New Deal farm agency that attempted to raise prices by paying farmers to reduce their production of crops and animals
Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)
the drought-stricken plains areas from which hundreds of thousands of "Okies" were driven during the Great Depression
Dust Bowl
New Deal agency that aroused strong conservative criticism by producing low-cost electrical power in competition with private utilities
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
New Deal program that financed old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and other forms of income assistance
Social Security
the new union group that organized large numbers of unskilled workers with the help of the Wagner Act and the National Labor Relations Board
Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO)
New Deal agency established to provide a public watchdog against deception and fraud in stock trading
Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC)
organization of wealthy Republicans and conservative Democrats whose attacks on the New Deal caused Roosevelt to denounce them as "economic royalists" in the campaign of 1936
American Liberty League
Roosevelt's scheme for gaining Supreme Court approval of New Deal legislation
Court-packing plan
Law of 1939 that prevented federal officials from engaging in campaign activities or using federal relief funds for political purposes
Hatch Act
Republican who carried only two states in a futile campaign against "The Champ" in 1936
Alfred M. Landon
The "microphone messiah" of Michigan whose mass radio appeals turned anti-New Deal and anti-Semitic
Father Coughlin
Writer whose best-selling novel portrayed the suffering of dust bowl "Okies" in the Thirties
John Steinbeck
Supreme Court justice whose "switch in time" to support New Deal legislation helped undercut FDR's Court-packing scheme
Owen Roberts
Presidential wife who became an effective lobbyist for the poor during the New Deal
Eleanor Roosevelt
Louisiana senator and popular mass agitator who promised to make "every man a king" at the expense of the wealthy
Huey ("Kingfish") Long
Former New York governor who roused the nation to action against the depression with his appeal to the "forgotten man"
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt's secretary of labor, America's first female cabinet member
Francis Perkins
Prominent 1930s social scientist who argued that each culture produced its own type of personality
Ruth Benedict
Former New York social worker who became an influential FDR adviser and head of several New Deal agencies
Harry Hopkins
Former bull moose progressive who spent billions of dollars on public building projects while carefully guarding against waste
Harold Ickes
Roosevelt-declared closing of all U.S. financial institutions on March 6-10, 1933, in order to stop panic and prepare reforms
Banking holiday
British economist whose theories helped justify New Deal deficit spending
John Maynard Keynes
Supreme Court ruling of 1935 that struck down a major New Deal industry-and-labor agency
Schecter case
Domineering boss of the mine workers' union who launched the CIO
John L. Lewis
Cause: The "lame-duck" period from November 1932 to March 1933
Effect: Caused a political paralysis that nearly halted the U.S. economy
Cause: Roosevelt's leadership during the Hundred Days
Effect: Pushed a remarkable number of laws through Congress and restored the nation's confidence
Cause: The Civilian Conservation Corps, the Works Progress Administration, and the Civil Works Administration
Effect: Provided federal jobs for unemployed workers in conservation, construction, the arts, and other areas
Cause: New Deal farm programs like the AAA
Effect: Succeeded in raising farm prices but met strong opposition from many conservatives
Cause: The Tennessee Valley Authority
Effect: Provided federal economic planning, conservation, cheap electricity, and jobs to a poverty-stricken region
Cause: The Wagner (National Labor Relations) Act
Effect: Encouraged the CIO to organize large numbers of unskilled workers
Cause: FDR's political appeals to workers, African Americans, southerners, and "New Immigrants"
Effect: Forged a powerful political coalition that made the Democrats the majority party
Cause: The Supreme Court's conservative rulings against New Deal legislation
Effect: Caused Roosevelt to propose a plan to "pack" the Supreme Court
Cause: Roosevelt's attempt to "pack" the Supreme Court
Effect: May have pushed the Court toward more liberal rulings but badly hurt FDR politically
Cause: The rapid cutback in federal "pump-priming" spending in 1937
Effect: Caused a sharp "Roosevelt Depression" that brought unemployment back up to catastrophic levels
Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA)
looked for immediate relief rather than long-term alleviation. Headed by Harry L. Hopkins.
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
made available many millions of dollars to help farmers meet their mortgages. Paid farmers to reduce their crop acreage to eliminate surpluses.
Civil Works Administration (CWA)
established in 1933 to provide temporary jobs
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
put 11 million on thousands of public buildings, bridges, etc. and gave 9 million people jobs.
National Recovery Administration (NRA)
designed to assist industry, labor, and the unemployed.
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
provide employment for about 3 million uniformed young men.
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