What message do you think the photographer is trying to give?
- This photograph is quite ironic because of the poster in the background showing a family of white Americans having a good time with the caption ‘there’s no way like the American way’ and the black Americans are queuing in poverty with the complete opposite of feelings then the poster. Roosevelt’s alphabet agencies were not targeted to help black people, some of them even aggravating the black Americans by driving them off their land and killing their livestock. The problem of racism was still a big issue in America when Roosevelt came to power but he, like the presidents before him, didn’t tackle it.
Are these cartoons for or against Roosevelt?
- Source E is against Roosevelt as it shows how his ‘New Deal machine’ is leaking taxpayer’s money. It says at the bottom how 16 billion dollars were spent and the American taxpayer is small and weak, struggling to carry more money for the New Deal to use and waste. Roosevelt is shown saying: “I hope this will make ‘er work” as though he doesn’t know how reliable the New Deal will be. Source F is for Roosevelt and shows FDR throwing out a trash can of Hoover’s promises and ideas including ‘a chicken in every pot’ and his whole idea of ‘rugged individualism’. This cartoon comes out showing Roosevelt throwing out the old and bringing in his new ideas. Source G is against Roosevelt and his New Deal. Uncle Sam is shown on the right looking unwell with a load of bottles labelled with the alphabet agencies. The doctor, Roosevelt, is trying different remedies to help the New Deal succeed. This cartoon shows how Roosevelt is unsure about his alphabet agencies and is experimenting with trial and error.
Which sources are more useful as evidence about public opinion towards the New Deal?
- Source I is the most useful co it was a popular song that implies that a lot of people knew it and sung along to it, heard it, enjoyed it, and more importantly they liked and agreed with it.
Source H is still useful because it is a letter from the public, displaying the opinions of the alphabet agencies such as the HOLC. The public found it easy to talk to Roosevelt because of his Fireside Chats, which made Roosevelt seem a lot friendlier, then other presidents. Hoover was cold and aloof, but Roosevelt actually talked to the public. However, the source implies that source H was used as propaganda and could have been edited slightly. It still only one letter whereas source I was a popular song that displays a lot more people’s opinions than the writer of just one letter.
Why do you think these two people disagree about the New Deal?
- They disagree because they have different attitudes, outlooks and backgrounds. The businessman who wrote source J was a ‘self-made businessman’ that makes him similar to Herbert Hoover. He may also have disliked the New Deal because of higher taxes and possibly accept trade unions. Whereas Frances Perkins worked for Roosevelt and was in the cabinet that meant she must have had quite a lot in common with his ideals. She believes that the state should supply help at desperate times. She would obviously defend the New Deal and is a politician who would be in charge of helping people and may even have to deal with people like Mr. Fuller from source J. Fuller is more likely to be a republican and well off as well as a businessman so he would have agreed with ‘rugged individualism’.
Which interpretation is best supported by the evidence in the sources and your knowledge of American History?
- The New Deal was the first time the government had interfered at such a level and spent so much money. It was therefore controversial and caused division of opinion.
In many ways the first statement is positive and is supported by some of the sources. Source B supports this statement and explains how the New Deal helped many Americans including the restoration of self-confidence, assistance for the unemployed, and banning child labour. This source is unlikely to be very biased because an historian wrote it and based his own knowledge on actual facts although the source does say that it was the American historian’s own judgement so it is obviously an opinion based on facts rather than a solid fact itself. Source F supports Roosevelt and the New Deal by showing him throwing out all of Hoover’s promises and statements and bringing into power Roosevelt's own promises. This cartoon was, however, published and was used as propaganda so it would obviously be fairly biased towards Roosevelt. Sources H and I agree with the first statement, but source H only expresses the opinion of one man and is also propaganda whereas source I was just a popular song at the time and displays the a lot of the public’s opinion. The New Deal did reduce unemployment, bankruptcies and bank closures. It also certainly restored a lot of people’s confidence after the disaster of the crash in 1929.
However, the second statement can also be supported by some of the other sources. Source C supports this statement and describes how ‘inflation doubled prices’ and how Roosevelt became too powerful and did not solve unemployment by any means. Source C was written by an historian but it was included in a book called ‘The Roosevelt Myth’ which was obviously against Roosevelt and would have tailored facts and sources to show this. Source E was drawn for an American newspaper and supports the second statement by showing Roosevelt pour taxpayer’s money into the very inefficient New Deal. This cartoon, like most cartoons, was used as propaganda and was obviously drawn to be biased against Roosevelt. Source J supports the second statement by explaining how the New Deal ‘kills a man’s initiative’. The source was, however, written by a businessman who would have been caused several problems by the New Deal such as taxes, trade unions, and paperwork. Whilst the New Deal reduced some unemployment there was still a lot of it around and not everyone benefited from the alphabet agencies.
Neither statement is right or wrong. The New Deal was a mixture of both statements. The New Deal helped a lot of the poor out of poverty, but it didn’t help all of Americans living in poverty, especially black Americans. The rich businessmen were ignored or taxed by the New Deal so they were against it from the start and agreed with Hoover’s ‘rugged individualism’. All of the sources are difficult because they often have a point to make and are biased and based on experiences and different opinions. The New Deal helped many people but interfered with others.