Dbq Essay On The New Deal

Great Depression and New Deal Research Paper A time period of progressivism and unparalleled economic prosperity in the United States during the early 1900’s was abruptly halted by two massive national crises: the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Although the Dust Bowl had it’s immediate affects on just the Great Plains region and the Great Depression began its havoc primarily in the East Coast, both calamities had widespread impacts on the entire country. To rescue the United States from complete eradication, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt subsequently implemented a series of programs he called the “New Deal”. The Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal programs all had significant political, social, and economic impacts on

The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression both had many noteworthy social and economic effects on life in the 1930’s. “The Great Depression was the deepest and longest lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western Industrialized world.” (History.com) This economic devastation was caused in large part by nationwide bank failures and illegitimate stock trading practices leading to the infamous Stock Market Crash of 1929. The Depression had depleted the monetary savings of millions of families nationwide, forcing them into a life of poverty. By 1933, 20.6% of the labor force was unemployed.(Doc N) Soup kitchens and bread lines were established by private charities to feed those who were unable to feed themselves and their families. (Pg. 536) Three years later, Americans were facing another societal tragedy. Once drought hit the Great Plains region and the Dust Bowl engulfed the area in 1932, farmers were forced to abandon their unprofitable farmlands to find a new source of income in the West, notably California.

“Roosevelt used to say “try something, if it doesn’t work, try something else” (Doc B) Nobody, including the President, was sure what needed to be done to pull the US out of the Depression, but everyone agreed that something had to be done. The New Deal programs were based on three R’s: Relief, Recovery, and Reform. (Doc B) Relief acts were generally implemented to halt the economy from further determination. Acts such as Bank Holidays and the Emergency Bank Act closed banks temporarily, and in some cases, permanently to stop the panic and give banks the chance to get situated. Recovery programs refueled consumer demand. The largest of these was the Works Progress Administrations that provided numerous citizens with jobs building public infrastructure like roads and buildings. (Doc G) Reform programs were implemented to avoid another depression and protect citizens against future economic disasters. (Doc B) Reforms such as the Social Security Act promised financial aid citizens over 65. (Doc C) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, another reform program, was also implemented to insure monetary deposits of up to $5,000 per depositor, giving citizens assurance that their money was safe. (Doc B) Politically, the widespread success of the New Deal programs unintentionally taught the American people to lean on their government for