FDR & the New Deal

1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
Many people lost their jobs, were evicted from their homes, and ended up stranded on the streets. Some people slept with newspapers wrapped around them for warmth, others built makeshift shafts out of scrap materials. Shanty Towns were covered around cities, little towns consisting of shacks. Everyday people would dig through garbage cans, or beg people on the streets for money. Soup kitchens offered free or low costed foods, and bread lines became a common sight.

2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?
Men were much more effected from the Great Depression. Their usual role was to work and support the families so they had a harder time dealing with unemployment. Some men became so discouraged that they stopped trying, some even simply abandoned their families. Women on the other hand worked harder to support their families during the great depression. Many women canned foods and sewed clothes, they also carefully managed household budgets. Many Americans also assumed that women had an easier time during the great depression than men did because few were seen begging on the streets, but they were only too ashamed to be seen. For children, poor diets and lack of money for health care led to serious health problems. Fallen tax revenues also caused school boards to shorten the year, many schools even shut down. So instead these children turned to labor. Teenagers tried to find ways to get out of suffering. Many teenagers hopped aboard freight trains in search of work, adventure, and overall an escape from poverty.

3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
Thousands of farmers and sharecroppers left their land behind. Thousands migrated to California and other Pacific coats states. But many people lost their will to survive. Other made sacrifices that affected their lives forever. Adults stopped going to the doctors, and the dentists because they couldn't afford it. Young people gave up their dreams of going to college. Others put off marriage, having children, or having children at all. But besides that during the Great Depression many people showed kindness to strangers who were down on their luck. People often gave out food, clothes, and a place to stay for the needy.

Objective: Summarize the initial steps Franklin D. Roosevelt took to reform banking and finance.

4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)
The New Deal was a program designed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to alleviate the problems of the Great Depression. Its general three goals were, find relief for the needy, form economic recovery, and form financial reform.

5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
During the hundred days Roosevelt and his administration launched a period of intense activity. Congressed passed more than 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation. These laws, and others that followed, expanded the federal governments role in the nations economy.

6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
Roosevelt's fireside chats were significant because it made Americans feel as if the President was talking directly to them. It led many Americans to trust their President and to have hope that he knows how to fix the problem.

7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.
1.) Glass-Steagall Act: established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which provided federal insurance for individual bank accounts up to $5000. Reassuring millions of bank customers that their money was safe.

2.) Federal Securities Act: required corporations to provide complete information on all stock offerings and made them liable to any misrepresentatives.

3.) Securities and Exchange Commission: regulated stock market. also prevented people with inside information about companies from rigging the stock market for their own profit.

4.) 21st Amendment: repealed prohibition all together which raised governments revenue.

Causes of the Great Depression Outline

Thesis: The Wall Street Crash was not a major cause of the Great Depression of 1929. The major causes of the Depression would be the failing of industries, and the crisis in the farm sector.

I. Main Point 1: Industries
a. major business lost money
b. caused homes to crash
c. people were homeless, jobless, and in debt.

II. Main Point 2: Crisis in the Farm Sector
a. demand for crops soared
b. farmers boosted production in the hopes of selling more crops
c. between 1919 and 1921 annual farm income had declined
d. farmers went into debt
e. this caused banks to fail, which put poeple in debt for losing their money in banks, which caused people to lose their jobs, etc.

Conclusion: Both the Crisis in the farm sector and the failure of Industries were the major causes to the Depression, and were also major parts to creating the Wall Street Crash that topped off the whole Depression.

Causes & Early Effects of the Great Depression

1. What happened on "Black Tuesday"?
Black Tuesday was the day that the stock market crashed and 16.4 million shares were sold.

2. How did the economic trends of the 1920s in industry, agriculture, and with consumers help cause the Great Depression? (Make sure you include significant details about each area in your answer. It should be at least a paragraph)
Industry businesses weren't making any profit. Key basic industries such as railroads, textiles, and steel were barely making any profit. Mining and lumbering were in high demand also. After the high demand for crops during World War One farmers had too much crops and too much land producing food, causing them to be unable to pay their taxes and loans. As farmers incomes fell, they bought fewer goods and services. Because of this consumers were buying less, because of the rising prices and stagnant wages.

3. According to your reading, what are the major causes of the Great Depression?
The major causes of the Great Depression, the stock market crash, farming debt, the uneven distribute of income, living on credit, the failure, and the fact that key basic industries couldn't make any profit.

4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?
Hoover's philosophy of government was that one of the governments chief functions was to foster cooperation between competing groups and interest in society. This cooperation he said must be voluntarily rather than forced. Overall the governments general role was to encourage and facilitate cooperation, not to control it.

5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?
Hoover took a cautious approach to the depression after hearing about the stock market crash of 1929. Hoover called together key leaders in the feilds of business, banking and labor. His approach though really didn't make a difference.

6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?
In 1930 the nations economic situation was worse.

7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?
Voters in the 1930's responded to this worsened situation by turning against Hoover, blaming him for the increased problem.

8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?
Hoover continued to hold onto his principles. He still refused to support direct relief or other forms of federal warfare. But then Hoover begins to back cooperatives. For example he backed the creation of the federal Farm Board, and tried to prop up the Banking System.

9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?
The economy was noticing that President Hoover was not helping anyone. The Reconstruction Finance Corporations lended out over 800 million dollars but businesses still continued to fail.

The Twenties Woman

1. Note two ways women's fashions changed.
Replacing the dark and ankle- length dresses, whalebone corsets, and petticoats were the flashy bright waistless dresses about an inch above the knee, sleek pumps, and strings of bead.

2. Note two ways women's social behavior changed.
Many women became more assertive, and their behavior resembled one of a man at this time. They began to smoke cigarettes, drinking in public, and talking openly about sex. The second change is their opinion and views on marriage. They now saw it as more of an equal partnership.

3. Note two words that describe the attitude reflected by these changes.
Two words that describe their attitudes would be assertive and rebellious.

4. Note one way women's work opportunities improved.
New opportunities were open for women in offices, factories, stores, and professions. By 1930 ten million women were earning wages, and many women turned to professions.

5. Note two ways women's home and family life improved.
One, the birthrate declined for several decades and dropped at an even faster rte. Two, social and technological innovations simplified household labor and family life. Stores had ready made clothes, sliced bread, and canned foods which greatly improved home and family life.

6. Note three negative effects that accompanied women's changing roles in the 1920s.
-Though women's work opportunities improved, they did however earn less money did men did. Also men argued that womens real job was to be at home, in fear of competition of jobs.
-Women were now starting to realize how difficult it was to juggle a job and a family life at home. The strain of working-class women was severe.
-Many women struggled with rebellious adolescents who put a strain on their families.

Prohibition and the Scopes Trial

Do you think the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represented genuine triumphs for traditional values? Think About:

• changes in urban life in the 1920s
• the effects of Prohibition
• the legacy of the Scopes trial

I do not think the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represented genuine triumphs for traditional values. The Volstead Act, causing the 18th amendment prohibiting alcohol, caused alot of crime and murder throughout the cities. People were illegally purchasing alcohol through people called bootleggers who hid liquor in their legs, and through nightclubs known as speakeasies. Al Capone was a bootlegger who took control of illegally selling liquor by killing off his competition. Overall the Volstead act badly effected traditional values, causing a more or organized crime and causing more illegal acts against the government.

The Scopes trial also did not represent genuine triumphs for traditional values. The Scopes trial caused much controversy between science and religion. One religion was being favored over another, which is against the constitution. Though Christianity was being favored. The government now passed the law that prohibited the teaching of evolution. A teacher, John T. Scopes, challenged the government and went against this. But because of this he was put on trial. I think that the Scopes Trials represent a poor choice of the government and traditional values also. The United States is all about independence, and freedom of speech. He should have had the right to say his beliefs. Overall the Scopes Trial and the Volstead Act were both examples of the Government ignoring the people and not considering how everyone has a different belief. If people are rebelling and reacting against the law illegally, then theres something that needs to be changed.

Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues

1. How did the Justice Department under A. Mitchell Palmer respond to this fear?
The Justice Department under A. Mitchell Palmer responded to this fear by arresting any man who was a communist, socialist, or anarchist illegally by invading homes and offices. They also jailed these suspects of communism without allowing them any legal counsels.

2. Why did Palmer eventually lose his standing with the American public?
Soon people began to see that Palmer had no real hard evidence of these conspiracies. They also began to believe that he was just looking for a campaign issue to gain support for his presidential aspirations.

3. How did the Ku Klux Klan respond to this fear?
They responded to this fear by day by day getting more people to join, harassing any foreigner or socialist and anarchist, destroy saloons and driving Roman Catholics and Jews away.

4. Why did the Klan eventually lose popularity and membership?
Eventually they lose their popularity because of their harsh crimes many people disaproved of.

5. Briefly describe how Sacco and Vanzetti became victims of the Red Scare.
Sacco and Vanzeti were victims of the Red Scare because the Red Scare was all about the people sharing the fear that communism would take over the United States also there was much hatred and racism toward the immigrants. Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of murder without any hard evidence against them. They were put to death mainly because they were anarchists and Italian immigrants. They were put to trial but the judge and the rest of the jury were prejudice against them.

6. Why was the strike by Boston police unpopular with the public?
The Boston police were unpopular with the public because the people felt that immigrants took all the unskilled jobs.

7. Why did Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge become so popular?
Governor Calvin Coolidge became so popular because the people praised him for 'saving' Boston from communism. Governor Calvin Coolidge had said that the Boston Policemen were not allowed to unionize or strike at anytime.

8. Why was the strike at U.S. Steel unpopular?
The strike at the U.S. steel was unpopular because in the end the steelworkers still remained without a union.

9. How did President Wilson respond to the steel strike?
President Wilson responded to the steel strike by overall trying to keep the peace and stay out of the war and issues elsewhere. He wrote a plea
to the company negotiators. In this please he stated that America is trying to avoid the war at all costs, but this was hard to obtain when the negotiators are attacking people.