How Successful Was The New Deal Dbq

The Great Depression

Did the New Deal achieve its goal and was it successful? To answer the question one must look at what was the New Deal’s goal was. In FDR’s Fireside chat he claims the goal of the new deal is “ to prevent the return of conditions which came very close to destroying what we call modern civilization”. Then he continues on to say “The actual accomplishment of our purpose cannot be attained in a day.( Fireside chat, May 7th, 1933). Using FDR’s goals for the new deal it is clear that the new deal was effective and successful seeing that it created new jobs to employ workers and at the same time feeding, housing and taking care of 250,000 men( Doc D), it also helped Americans with debt and mortgages and the New Deal helped prevent

The New Deal created many of things for the Americas, but one of the most important things it did for the Americans gave them an opportunity to be employed. In document D, one program, Works Progress Administration or WPA, states it employed 8.5 million in construction and other jobs but more importantly provided work in art, theater, and literary projects.The New Deal was very successful in employing citizens, in 1937 the unemployment rate was at 9.1% comparing that to in 1932 when it was at 20.6% that was an 11.5% drop in five years ( Document E). Another program that helped unemployed men were the CCC, the CCC sent “250,000 young men to work camps to perform reforestation and conservation task.(Doc D)” This was beneficial to both parties, America and the unemployed, because it removed the surplus of workers from cities provided healthy conditions for boys and provided money for families. American who were still unemployed benefited from this because they had a better chance of getting a job in cities. Robert Miller spoke of his experiences enrolled in the CCC in Document E, “ I enrolled as a boy, unsteady, groping, unsure. I wanted something, but could not describe it or discover a means for attaining it. Then I discovered what it was I was seeking- it was the right to call myself a man. My life at camp has given me that right, and I shall be ever grateful to President Roosevelt and the C.C.C. Not only did the CCC employ men and

The Glass-Steagall Act helped with future bank failures, it “ Created federally insured bank deposit ( $2500 per investor at first) to prevent bank failures.(Doc D)” Today we still have this and it has helped many people over the years. The New Deal also met its goal of the Securities and Exchange Commission program or SEC, this helped and still helps regulate the stock market and restrict margin buying(Doc D). The USA still has this program however it has been adapted over time to help the stock market of today. The last, but important thing the New Deal did was help ease the burden of debt and mortgage. In FDR’s fireside speech he states his plan; “ Next, the congress is about to pass legislation that will greatly ease the mortgage distress among the farmers and the homeowners of the nation, by easing the burden of debt now bearing so heavily upon millions of our people(Doc A)” The New Deal did help to ease debt, mortgages but, most importantly it helped lay down laws to prevent another depression happening