During Roosevelt's impressive 1932 presidential election campaign, he promised the American people a New Deal. The Americans were unsure exactly what measures this might include. What was clear was that Roosevelt planned to use the full power of government to lead America out of the Depression. Its goal was to: put Americans back to work, protect their savings and assets, provide aid to the sick, the elderly and the unemployed. He also aimed to restore American industry and agriculture. Roosevelt certainly helped the American people and certainly contributed to the betterment of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay During the first hundred days of his presidency, Roosevelt worked around the clock with his advisors (known as the Brain Trust ) to produce a wide range of radical measures. From the start of his presidency, Roosevelt tackled the banking crisis. The day after his inauguration, Roosevelt ordered all U.S. banks to close and remain closed until government authorities checked them. A few days later, five hundred reputable banks were allowed to reopen. They were even supported by government money if necessary. Additionally, Roosevelt's advisors had developed a set of rules and regulations that would prevent further disasters such as the Wall Street Crash. A member of the brain trust, Raymond Moley, spoke of the reaction to Roosevelt's help in solving the banking crisis: people were able to survive the shock of all the banks closing, and then see the banks open, with their money protected, trust began to be restored. Prosperous times were coming. Roosevelt also created a series of government agencies intended to provide the American people with much-needed aid and support. They quickly became known by their initials and were thus called the alphabet agencies. These included the FCA, AAA, CCC, CWA, PWA, FERA, NRA and TVARoosevelt, and the brain trust created agencies to help the farmer and get agriculture back on its feet: The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) provided loans to one-fifth of all farmers so they don't lose their farms. The Agricultural Adjustment Agency (AAA) paid farmers to produce less food. They did this by removing land from production or reducing their livestock. Less production meant prices rose and farmers' incomes increased. Between 1933 and 1939, farmers' incomes doubled. AAA also helped farmers modernize their farming methods. They introduced new ones that would conserve and protect the soil. In extreme cases, farmers also received help with their mortgage. Although AAA helped many farmers, modernization resulted in farm workers losing jobs. Roosevelt also created agencies to reduce unemployment: the Civilian Conservation Corps specifically targeted unemployed young men. They could sign up for periods of 6 months, renewable if they were still unable to find work. Most of the work done by the CCC was on environmental projects in national parks. Most of the money earned was returned to the men's families. Approximately 2.5 million young men have been helped by this program. The Civilian Works Administration (CWA) aimed toprovide employment to as many people as possible in the short term. Some useful work, such as building roads, was carried out, but most of this work simply gave people something to do. It gave them a purpose. The Public Works Administration (PWA) aimed to create long-term jobs. $7 billion was spent employing skilled men to build dams, bridges and houses. Between 1933 and 1939, the PWA built 70% of America's schools and 35% of America's hospitals. Roosevelt's policy of paternalistic government was very different from Hoover's laissez-faire attitude, and here we can see government paternalism in action. Roosevelt created the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). They received $500 million to help thousands of Americans who were homeless, penniless and on the verge of starvation. Most of the money was used to increase the number of soup kitchens and to provide clothing, schools and employment programs. One of Roosevelt's goals was to get industry back on its feet, and he attempted to accomplish this by creating the National Recovery Administration (NRA). The NRA's goals were to raise workers' wages (so they could spend more on goods), raise the prices of factory products (to help factory owners make more profits and thus to employ more men) and to offer workers fair remuneration. workplace agreement (i.e. better working conditions and shorter hours). Companies that joined the NRA were allowed to use the NRA sign, the Blue Eagle. Large advertising campaigns encouraged the public to purchase products from program members. You can see an example ad from the source below: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created to develop the Tennessee Valley, a large area that runs through seven states. It was poverty-stricken and suffered from soil erosion and flooding. The TVA organized the construction of 33 dams to control the Tennessee River. The quality of the soil was improved so that it could be cultivated again and new forests were planted. The TVA built power plants on the dams to provide cheap electricity to farmers, and the TVA became the largest producer of electricity in America. The TVA was one of the most impressive projects of the New Deal, combining an effort to revive agriculture and industry into a single program. Thousands of jobs were created and it gave an entire region a chance to recover from the worst effects of the Depression. Roosevelt's famous inauguration speech; The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, which was one of the turning points in America's predicament because, as historian Hugh Brogan points out; In a few minutes, Roosevelt did what had eluded Hoover for four years: he gave his countrymen their hope and energy. By the end of the week, half a million thank-you letters had flooded into the White House. By doing this, Roosevelt gave Americans hope, self-esteem, and confidence. He realized how important it was to earn the trust of the American people. So he gave radio shows, they became known as fireside chats. He explained his actions simply and directly and asked Americans to work with him. These shows were incredibly successful. Roosevelt ended Prohibition in 1933. Breweries were legalized again and Americans could enjoy a drink without fear of beingarrested. This made many Americans much more cheerful. Of course, we cannot worship Roosevelt as a hero. He was not the only factor in improving the standard of living in America. The start of World War II certainly helped solve the unemployment problem. Although the New Deal helped gradually reduce unemployment, it was not entirely responsible for it. When war broke out in Europe in 1939, unemployment figures in the United States fell rapidly. When America entered the war in 1941, the number of unemployed people fell by half in one year. Americans themselves have contributed much to the United States' standard of living. The typical individualistic approach to life still existed for many Americans, and their determination to succeed in life helped improve the quality of life. Many people did not support Roosevelt's New Deal. Many wealthy Americans resented having to pay higher taxes to fund the work of New Deal agencies. They were bitter that Roosevelt's policies had taken away some of their power. They thought he was a traitor to his class. Business leaders and Republicans also did not support the New Deal. Republicans because they thought Roosevelt behaved like a dictator – some even compared him to Hitler and Stalin. They believed that Americans had lost their autonomy because they believed that the Social Security Act would undermine the American way of life by making people lazy and dependent on government assistance. Business leaders disliked government interference in their business. They were angry at Roosevelt's support for unions and the campaign to raise wages. Of course, everyone who worked for the alphabet government agencies set up benefited because they took a lot of money from the government and made a lot of the profits from the projects they had set up . The natural business cycle meant that it was inevitable that the depression would end. Of course, we must consider the fact that not all Americans have benefited. One group that has not done so is black people. They remain second-class citizens and racism and discrimination remain widespread. Under the new agreement, segregation in education, transportation, and public places continued. Blacks were placed in separate CCC camps, and when the new town of Norris was built in the Tennessee Valley, blacks were not allowed to live there. Black people had a hard time finding work. Most jobs went to white men; the jobs left to blacks were menial jobs. Roosevelt failed to pass civil rights laws, particularly an anti-lynching law. He claimed that he needed the support of Southern Democratic congressmen to carry out the New Deal, and that they were strongly opposed to civil rights for blacks. Although they did not benefit as much as whites from the new agreement, thousands received much more. more relief than ever before, and they were given positions of responsibility in the New Deal administration. Women did not benefit much from the New Deal. Most New Deal programs targeted manual labor and construction work, traditionally reserved for men. The number of women employed did increase during the 1930s, but this was largely because it was cheap labor. Their average salary was half that of men. A number of states have attempted to avoid paying.