Franklin D. Roosevelt served as president during one of the country’s toughest economic crisis, The Great Depression. The Great Depression was onset by a great slew of economic problems, such as an uneven distribution of wealth and a weak farm economy, but ultimately the stock market crash in 1929. His administration had the difficult job of addressing all the problems with the Great Depression and responding to them quickly, and did so with the First and Second New Deal. His New Deals did not truly end the Great Depression, but it helped the country slowly rebuild the failing economy and put more power into the federal government.
The New Deal programs were somewhat successful in aiding the economy. During his presidency, F. Roosevelt and his administration passed a conglomeration of acts which created different agencies intended to help the citizens, such as the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. (Doc C) The goals of these agencies were to decrease unemployment, help the needy, and reduce the economic
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The Roosevelt administration passed the National Industries Recovery Act to secure workers’ rights. However, in the case Schechter V. United States the Supreme Court used Marshall Review to declare this act unconstitutional due to the employees not being involved in interstate commerce. (Doc F) Instead of abandoning its cause, the Administration passed the Wagner Act which reestablished the right to collectively bargain, protected workers’ rights to join unions, and prohibited unfair labor practices. (Doc G) Additionally, programs such as the PWA and CCC employed the public through building infrastructure such as roads and bridges, ultimately reducing unemployment by more than 15% in 5 years. (Doc J) A critic of the programs said that they greatly helped men, while many women were unemployed, suffered the same amount of poverty, and were seen as invisible by the government. (Doc