Was Franklin Roosevelt's Court Packing Scheme Evidence Of This?

473 Words2 Pages

Franklin Roosevelt dragged America out of the Great Depression and tackled World War 2.
Yet even as one of the most popular presidents, Roosevelt was deemed by critics as a man too close to becoming a dictator.
But was Franklin Roosevelt really on the verge to dictatorship?
Was his Court Packing Scheme evidence of this?
The story begins with the Great Depression in 1929 that left millions unemployed,
In the 1932 elections, The American public, desperate, heard Franklin Roosevelt’s promises of a New Deal that would recover the economy.
In a landslide victory, Roosevelt could now save America...
But there was just one problem : The Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court declared many parts of Roosevelt’s New Deal as unconstitutional.
The NRA and the AAA, two of the major foundations of Roosevelt’s New Deal, …show more content…

Thus, as the public grew angry at the Supreme Court’s decisions, Roosevelt struck, proposing the Judicial Reforms Bill of 1937, now known as the Court Packing Scheme.
He wanted to add more justices to the Supreme Court to shift the court towards his favor, so the court would allow his bills.
Intending to gain public support, Roosevelt introduced this idea to the public through his 9th fireside chat,
But this backfired.
The Supreme Court was seen sacred and the public did not want it changed,
Leaving public support for the plan low - averaging 40%.
In fact, even Roosevelt’s vice president, John Garner, showed his disapproval for the bill with symbolic gestures
When the bill was introduced to the Senate, he held his nose and gave a thumbs down.
Afterwards, as Congress debated over it, Garner walked out of congress and returned home, turning his back towards the bill.
Regardless, Roosevelt was not a man to back down and continued pressuring the