However, it wasn't only Roosevelt himself that was responsible for his great victory in the elections. His opponent Herbert Hoover also contributed to his defeat.
Hoover's attitude was very different compared to that of Roosevelt. He believed that American's should look after themselves and not depend on the government. His beliefs made him very unpopular. People blamed him for the Wall Street Crash and the Depression.
After the Bonus Army affair Hoover's reputation became very low. The Bonus Army were unemployed WWI veterans who demanded early payment of the 'bonuses' which they were not to receive until 1945. Hoover sent out an army, advancing upon the Bonus Army, equipped with tanks, guns and tear gas. Because of this many people got injured and some even died. This made Hoover even more unpopular.
Because of the Great Depression, many people lost their homes because they were unable to pay their mortgages. These people were left with no choice other than to find another form of shelter. They tried to make their own houses out of cardboard and trash cans. These shanty towns were named Hoovervilles, after president Hoover (who most people blamed for the Depression). Hoovervilles were not liked by the government. These towns brought about a major increase in crime, hunger and diseases because there was neither clean running water nor electricity.
Hoover had failed as a president and the public was in desperate need for a change.
3)
In the 1930s life did get better for a lot of Americans. Whether or not this was because of Roosevelt is a matter of opinion.
When Roosevelt became president he set up what was called the New Deal. The New Deal basically had 3 aims, better known as the 3 'Rs'; relief, recovery and reform. He wanted to help the millions of people that were unemployed, rebuild the Depression-shattered economy and set up laws to create a fairer and more just society.
One of the first things he did was close all the banks in the country. Then reopen the one's that had been approved by the government task force. By doing this, it would make sure that people's savings would be secure. By having done this, people would regain trust in the banking system.
Not only that but he set up a number of organizations to help him accomplish his aims.
Organizations like the NRA, TVA and CCC all helped people find jobs and improve their lives. The most well known organization, the NRA stood for the National Recovery Administration. This organization was set up in 1933. The idea behind it was to ensure fairness; fairness in business, price, wages and competition. Employers, workers and government officials all made rules and conditions, that would be fair for all.
Another well known organization was the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It was set up in 1935. This particular organization did a lot of jobless men. It created jobs and provided unemployed men with something useful to do. Roads, bridges and public buildings were created by people in the WPA. They also provided community work, namely looking after children, paining murals and counting cattle.
Some people argue though that it was the outbreak of WWII that made life better for the Americans. WWII increased manufacturing and decreased unemployment by a significant amount. This though, is just a matter of opinion.
Assignment B
1)
People supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election for a number of reasons. The main reason however was because he promised Americans a better life through means of The New Deal. From looking at source A you can see that Roosevelt tries to restore hope in Americans. He does this by saying, 'I am waging was against Destruction, Delay, Deceit and Despair.' Basically he's telling Americans that he will fight this war of despair that The Depression has caused them. This appealed to many who ended up voting for him.
At the time of this speech in 1932, the Great Depression had just started and people were living in poverty. People lost their jobs, homes and possessions. Many had to live in Hooverville's and depend on soup kitchens to provide food.
Roosevelt's New Deal came as a refreshment. The Americans wanted to get out of this mess and regain their lives.
2)
Sources B and C's judgment on the New Deal differ greatly.
Source B is the judgement of an American historian writing in 1945. He speaks greatly Roosevelt's achievements. It states that because of FDR (and the Civilian Conservation Corps), the US' natural resources were restored. It also states that unemployment went down because Roosevelt had introduced unemployment assistance and pensions for seniors.
Source C, an extract from the book 'The Roosevelt Myth'by an American Historian published in 1945, is completely the opposite compared to source B. It states that America's national debt went up to $250 billion after Roosevelt became president. Prior to his presidency it was $19 billion.
There are many things Source B and C disagree about. One is employment. Source B explains that because of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 3 million (previously unemployed) men helped plant 17 million acres of new forests and built over 6 milion dams. This shows that for a certain part Roosevelt did help the unemployment problem.
Source C however, states that by the time it was 1938 the unemplyment problem was still at an all-time high, 11 million. Roosevelt had promised to help the unemployed get jobs, but by 1938 is still looked as though he had done nothing about it.
3)
Source D shows a photograph of a group of black Americans lining up for government relief in 1937. They are standing in front of a large poster that says 'world's highest standard of living, there is no way like the American Way'. A picture of 4 white Americans in a car smiling is shown. The whole idea behind this photography is very ironic. A large poster is showing people that Americans now have a great life, a high standard of living and are actually living 'the American Way'. However, lining up under the posters are black Americans who are queueing up to receive government relief. They in fact aren't living 'the American Way'. Their standard of living is still low, and they still depend on the government for help.
The message the photographer is trying to give in source D is that not everyone was enjoying the 'World's Highest Standard of Living'. A lot of people were just unaware of the fact that so many Americans still didn't have a job and still barely had enough money to get by.
4)
Source E is very much against Roosevelt. The cartoon shows Roosevelt working on a pump which in this case represents the economy. It shows him trying to fill it up with water which represents money. The pump is leaking, yet Roosevelt still pumps water (or money) into it, trying to make it work. The tax payer is shown hauling water to Roosevelt. This cartoon indicates that Roosevelt was only spending more and more money on something that would never work. The tax payer had to suffer because they were the ones that had to pay more and more money each time.
Source F is for Roosevelt. It shows Roosevelt getting rid of the 'rubbish' like Hoover's rugged individualism and other things.
Source G is also against Roosevelt, just like source E. It shows a doctor with 'New Deal Remedies'. This basically shows that the New Deal simply wasn't working and a lot of things were being done to try and make it work.
5)
Source I is a lot more useful than source H as evidence about the public towards the New Deal.
Source I is a an excerpt from a popular song from 1936. The song was popular, which means that many people enjoyed it and listened to it. The fact that many people liked it shows that they also support the message behind the song.
The song explains that because of Roosevelt being 're-elected, we'll not be neglected'. Because Roosevelt is president again the people will get their lives back.
Source H is a letter that was published by Roosevelt's supportters as part of his election campaign held in 1936. Source H is a letter and for this reason it would not good evidence about the public towards the New Deal. Source H is the opinion of just one particular person. That one person in source H however is still very fond of Roosevelt. He explains how grateful he is that Rosevelt helped him and his wife get an extrension on their load
Even though both the sources praise Roosevelt and his actions, source I is more useful seeing as it is the opinion of a lot of people (since people support the song) and source H is just the opinion of one person.
6)
Source J is a speech by a self-made businessman speaking in 1980, remembering the time of the New Deal.
He criticizes the New Deal because it gave things too easily. People had to learn to get up onto their own feet and not learn to depend on the government to feed them. He compares the people to a dog. 'A dog you feed will not hunt. If you want a dog who hunts, you have to let him get hungry'. This is exactly what in his opinion Roosevelt has been doing, feeding the people and not allowing them to get hungry and provide their own food.
Source K is an extract of a book by Frances Perkins, the first woman Secretary of Labour in Roosevelt's New Deal Government, wrote called 'The Roosevelt I Knew'.
She explains that the people who were hit hardest by the New Deal were the people who 'were least able to bear it'. Shopkeepers, farmers and the ordinary householders all had to work for their own wages. The rich people though were hit hard too, but at least they still had something left.
Both source J and K disagree with the New Deal in their own way. Source J explains that people were just given everything they needed by the government and didn't work for it themselves. In the future they wouldn't have been taught to do things themselves and depend on the government for the rest of their lives. Source K explains that Roosevelt should have been more concerned with the poor people who had nothing left than the rich, who didn't need government relief to survive.
7)
The two interpretations show the two main opposing views the American public believed in.
Interpretation 1 states that the 'New Deal helped many Americans' and 'gave them self-respect'. These two statements are related to source B which states 'restoration of self-confidence' and goes on to talk about the achievements of the New Deal just like interpretation 1 does.
In interpretation 2 it states that 'the New Deal wasted a lot of money.' Source E supports this statement by showing Roosevelt putting more and more money into an almost shattered economy, pretty much wasting the money.
8)
There has been a lot of disagreement in the US over the effects of the New Deal. To many people the New Deal hardly did anything. It was WWII that solved the unemployment and manufacturing problems.
Take source B for example. Source B is the judgement of an American historian writing in 1945. This historian states numerous points that help back up the fact that the New Deal did indeed help many American's. Source B explains that one of the most major achievement of the New Deal is the 'restoration of self-confidence'. People's attitude's changed 'from depression and discouragement to excitement and hope'.
It also says that a more definite achievement would be the physical rebuilding of the country. The men in the Civilian Conservation Corps helped plant 17 million acres of forests and built over 6 million dams to stop erosion.
Another source, C for example, states the complete opposite, namely that Roosevelt made things worse.
It explains that before Roosevelt became president the debt of America was only $19 billion. Now that Roosevelt is president, it has risen up to an astonishing $250 billion.