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How Did Fdr Expand Federal Power

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Americans have always feared a system which gives too much power to a single individual. To prevent this, the legislature is separated into three different branches. The power each branch holds is well-distributed. During the early 1930s, the true strength and abilities of the executive branch were well displayed. During this time, Franklin D. Roosevelt held office. He was trapped in the middle of a tricky situation as one of the biggest depressions of the era had struck not too long ago. The previous president, Herbert Hoover, arguable did very little to ease the impact of the depression. Roosevelt addressed this during his election and issued a new set of deals that sought to help those struggling from the depression. The New Deals provided …show more content…

Expanding Federal power and establishing numerous precedents that have served to empower the federal government made Roosevelt seem like a radical president. Unlike previous presidents, Roosevelt believed that the American government had an obligation to help its citizens in a crisis. Roosevelt also felt that doing anything was better than doing nothing and he was criticized frequently for this. Nonetheless, most of his “alphabet agencies” served their purposes and provided immediate rather than long-term relief to over nine million desperate Americans. He started by creating the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, which provided employment in government camps for three million young men. These men served doing useful tasks like reforesting, firefighting, draining swamps, and controlling floods. The Works Progress Administration, or WPA, was another extremely helpful agency during the Depression, putting $11 million dollars into public buildings, bridges, and hard-surfaced roads, creating millions of new jobs. To the American people who were used to coming into contact with the government only at the post office and on other infrequent occasions, Roosevelt’s system was groundbreaking. Never before had the government intervened to help farmers in need (AAA), or homeowners struggling with mortgages (HOLC), or families starving during the winter (CWA). Roosevelt had no uncertainties or misgivings about the use of Federal money to help Americans. The agencies under the New Deal offered many benefits to millions of Americans and it revolutionized the way the common folk saw the Federal

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