FDR and the New Deal

1. What plans did Roosevelt make in the four months while he waited to take office?        
When Roosevelt was elected in 1932, he immediately began formulating policies with his advisors so that as soon as he was inaugurated he could start reforming right away. These policies became the New Deal when he was in office. He formed plans to heavily expand the federal government’s role in the economy, particular with financial reform. The other two major points the New Deal focused on were relief for the needy and economic recovery.



2. How successful were FDR's fireside chats?       
FDR’s fireside chats were very successful. A major cause of the depression was people being extremely confused by what was happening and in a panic doing what everyone else was, and at this time that was withdrawing your life savings. With Roosevelt explaining in easy to understand terms how the banks worked and why they were failing, more people trusted banks. They soon felt confident enough to deposit money again.



3. How did New Deal programs affect various regions of the United States?       
In areas that were mostly agricultural, New Deal legislation helped raise crop prices by paying farmers to grow less. In hard hit parts of Tennessee, Roosevelt created thousands of jobs fixing and building dams to help prevent floods and give energy to the region. Throughout the country, there were jobs made building roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. There were also thousands of schools built for better education and thousands of trees planted to prevent another dust bowl.

4. How did liberal and conservative critics differ in their opposition to the New Deal?            

  Conservatives in America believed that the New Deal had gone too far into controlling agriculture and industry. They believed FDR was too close to socialism with this legislation. Liberals, on the other hand, believed he had not gone far enough. They believed the federal government should control more parts of the economy and that he should have spent more on direct relief for the needy.

5. Do you think Roosevelt was wrong to try to "pack" the Supreme Court with those in favor of the New Deal? Explain your answer.      

Yes, I think Roosevelt overstepped his boundaries in regards to presidential power with this bill. However, I believe that this wrong was necessary at the time. Without this bill, the New Deal would not have been able to continue helping millions of Americans throughout the country. FDR’s reasoning for the bill was right, but the only way to see out this reasoning was with a wrongful method.




6. Of the New Deal programs discussed in this section, which do you consider the most important?

Explain your choice. Think About:
• the type of assistance offered by each program
• the scope of each program
• the impact of each program  

I think the Public Works Administration was the most important program in the New Deal. It offered a wide variety of jobs throughout the country. Most of these jobs were in building schools, community buildings, and roads, all of which have had a lasting effect, still being used today. This legislation also created thousands of immediate jobs in building them, as well as long lasting jobs for school teachers in the new schools.    

Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

1. What were some of Hoover's key convictions about government?        
Hoover was very conservative with his convictions about government. His main belief was that government should never be directly involved, just help as guidance. He believed the government should help cooperation with business and labor, not directly intervene. He also believed the government should support charities, but not directly help the needy.



2. What did President Herbert Hoover say and do in response to the Great Depression?       
He brought together heads of the largest parts of America’s economy and asked them to do certain things that would help consumer confidence once again. However, none of these measures worked particularly well. He did help authorize the building of the Hoover Dam, which created many jobs and provided a source of water for farmers in the area.



3. Why do you think people blamed Hoover for the nation's difficulties?       
Hoover’s policy on government aid led him to a lot of unpopularity in America. Although he tried to help with the conditions, his methods were no good. His lack of support for directly supporting the needy seemed mean and draconian. Not to mention, in a time like this everyone wanted a scapegoat, and the head of the country is the easiest target.

4. How did Hoover's belief in "rugged individualism" shape his policies during the Great Depression.

Think About:

• what his belief implies about his view of people

• how that translates into the role of government

• Hoover’s policies (How effective were they?)       

Hoover’s belief of “rugged individualism” made him believe that people, especially Americans, are strong enough to survive even in adverse conditions. To him this means the government should not directly help the people who are in trouble, as they can do it themselves. This didn’t mean that the government couldn’t help directly though, as they could support charities that were helping the needy. This indirect help was not as effective as direct help would have been.



5. What did the Bonus Army want and how did Hoover respond?      
The Bonus Army was a group of World War I veterans demanding a bonus since they were not adequately compensated after the war. This bonus was in the form of the Patman Bill. Hoover denied this bill and ordered the marchers to leave promptly. When a couple thousand weren’t left, he sent in 1,000 troops under MacArthur and Eisenhower to disband them forcefully, including using gas.

6. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt heard about the attack on the Bonus Army, why was he so certain that he would defeat Hoover?

Think About:

• the American public’s impression of Hoover (See your answer to No. 3)

• Hoover’s actions to alleviate the Great Depression (see your answer to No. 4)

• how people judged Hoover after the attack.       

Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew he would win because at this point the public opinion regarding Hoover was already very very low. Americans seeing Hoover forcefully attack veterans degraded this image even further. Not to mention, Hoover had created a shantytown for the marchers, helping to add to his image of creating shantytowns, then destroyed it. To most Americans, this was quintessential Hoover, making a sad place then doing the opposite to rectify it.

Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

As you read about how people coped with hard times, use the headings below to summarize the Great Depression’s effects on various aspects of American life.

Employment
Most men were unemployed and constantly wandered the streets looking for any work to support their family. It was even harder for minorities to find jobs, and when they did they were paid less. Women sometimes found work outside the home, but many people believed they shouldn’t be allowed to work when there were still men who didn’t have jobs.

Housing
Many people lost their homes and began living in whatever they could throw together. There were whole families living in garbage near cities. Hoboes wandered America looking for a way to get by, and they were completely homeless. Many children who were out of school began living on the road, exploring America.

Farming
Thousands of farms were foreclosed upon during the depression. Although farmers had the advantage of being able to grow food for their family, it became more difficult when they had no land to grow on. Often sons of poor farmers became the “wild boys” mentioned previously, traveling across America any way they could.

Race relations
Latinos and African-Americans who were looking for jobs were met with much resentment from white men looking for the same jobs. The white men believed that they deserved the job more than the minorities. This resentment resulted in a lot of racial violence, including several lynchings.

Family life
Men in families often had no way of making money, so it was difficult to support families. Women worked hard to save as much money as possible and even began working themselves in some cases. Children suffered through malnutrition and school closings.

Physical health
With so many people poor and looking for work, there was hardly any food available to them. Many children died of malnutrition, and many hoboes suffered terrible conditions while traveling. Thousands of trespassers on railroads were killed by murderers or adverse conditions. Those who were in the dust bowl often died of malnutrition or some illness from dust ingestion if they did not move west out to California. Rickets became common in children as well. At this point people didn’t have enough money to go to the doctor or dentist, which left people in poor health.

Emotional health
Many Americans at this time were so saddened by the hardships they and their family were facing that they lost the will to live. Many many more people committed suicide during the depression than in normal times in America. Many more people were also institutionalized for mental problems.

Explain or define each of the following:

 Dust bowl

The area in the south west including parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas that was hardest hit by the drought and dust storms of the 1930s.

Shantytown
Little towns made of small makeshift shacks.

Direct Relief

Cash payments to the poor directly from the government for food and other supplies.

Causes of the Great Depression

1. What industrial weakness signaled a declining economy in the 1920s?   
Many industries that had been booming throughout the twenties were now beginning to diminish, such as steel, oil, cars, consumer goods, lumber, and mining. The lower rate of new houses being built was an indicator of other industries related to it being about to be hit hard.

2. What did the experience of farmers and consumers at this time suggest about the health of the economy?   
Farmers at this time had built up tons of debt from large loans on equipment and land taken out during WWI, so they had no money to spend on goods. Other consumers at this time had built up debt from “buy now, pay later” plans, in which companies created an installment plan with interest. People got many items but were not able to pay for them. As a result, everybody was in debt except the business owners offering the credit, heavily weakening the economy as nobody was able to buy anything anymore.

3. How did speculation and margin buying cause stock prices to rise?   
Speculation, buying stocks looking for a quick profit, and margin buying, buying a little bit of stock and borrowing for the rest, made stock easily available to everyday people. This led more people to buy stock which in turn led to a huge upward spiral in the stock market.

4. What happened to ordinary workers during the Great Depression?   
Many ordinary workers were fired during the Great Depression. By 1933, the unemployment rate was 25%. The 3 out of 4 workers who did keep their jobs faced worse conditions for less money and less benefits. Basically, ordinary workers either lost their jobs or lost wages, either way they didn’t have enough money.

5. How did the Great Depression affect the world economy?   
During the Great Depression many European were recovering from damages during World War I, and the economic downturn in America did not help. America was no longer able to import European goods, in part because of the lack of money, and in part because of the huge tariffs. However, now no countries had any American dollars so America was not able to export anything. World trade was hurt heavily by these tariffs.

Define:

a. Price-Supports:   The government would buy food from farmers at a guaranteed price and sell them on the world market.


b. Credit:   Consumers could buy now and pay later for products.


c. Dow Jones Industrial Average:    A barometer for the health of the stock market based on the stock prices of 30 major companies.


d. Speculation:   Buying stocks to make a quick profit with no regards for the risk.


e. Buying on Margin:    Paying a small price for stocks and borrowing the rest of the necessary money.


f. Black Tuesday:    October 29, people tried to sell as many stocks as possible before the prices of stocks dropped even more.


g. Hawley-Smoot Tariff:    An extremely high protective tariff intended to protect American companies but ended up hurting them.

Schenck v US (Free Speech)

1. What was Justice Holmes’ main argument in the Court’s opinion in Schenck? Do you agree with the Court’s opinion?   
Holmes’ main argument was that free speech does not protect things that endanger America. He uses the analogy of shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theatre when there is no fire. He says that what Shenck said would not necessarily have endangered America had they not been at war, so he upheld the conviction. I disagree with this ruling. I think if Holmes will admit that the pamphlet would be protected by free speech if there were no war, it should be protected at any time. I believe this was an example of exploitation of the Sedition Act by Justice Holmes in order to keep public opinion for the war.

2. Do you think some limits on the freedom of speech are necessary? Explain. (Use your own opinion and support it using information from the reading.)     
Yes, I think some limits on freedom of speech should exist, mainly for things that are slanderous and untruthful. The burning of the American flag in 1989 that was protected by freedom of speech was a man expressing his opinion, albeit in a very exaggerated way, hence it was protected. Publishing something about Reagan having an affair to try and ruin his reputation should not be protected, as it is specifically designed to not be true. The limits on freedom of speech should be few, but they should be there. For the most part we should be able to express our opinions openly, as long as they don’t infringe on other peoples’ rights.


3. List three examples of the "historical impact" of the Schenck decision. 
1.) At the peak of the cold war, Americans were persecuted for saying anything in support of Communism.

2.) In the case Tinker v. Des Moines School District, the Supreme Court supported students’ choice to wear black bands in protest of the Vietnam War.

3.) In Texas v. Johnson, a close decision, it was ruled that burning of the flag is legal under freedom of speech.

Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

1. What made the Filipino insurrection "far different than any conflict in which Americans had previously fought"?
In the Philippines, the American soldiers were facing a completely different challenge than any other war. There were generally rules followed by both sides on a battle field to keep things remotely civilized during war. During the insurrection, these rules were completely ignored, as we were not facing on unified organized army. It was many different guerilla attack forces that would move quickly in and out, killing as many as possible. This was really American troops’ first encounter with these kinds of tactics, so they had to adjust their tactics as well. Both sides became brutal to the enemy, using torture and execution methods that were unheard of before.

2. Why were African-Americans among the strongest critics of the war against the Filipino nationalists?
Many African-Americans were critics against the war due to the racial attitudes behind America’s occupation. We thought of Filipino as lesser people, as we did blacks, hence they needed our help. This was made evident by most of the whites in the army referring to Filipinos as “niggers”. The war also reminded the black troops of the discrimination they experienced in America, the very discrimination that were trying to curb by joining the military, as there were restaurants and public services only for whites all over the Philippines. The Filipinos reminded them of this racism as well, distributing posters addressed to the “Colored American Soldier”, which encouraged the backlash against the war even further, in some cases even encouraging desertion.

3. Why did the United States lose its appetite for imperialism in the early 1900s?
Even after the insurrection was quashed in the Philippines, the Filipinos continued fighting for their independence in different ways. After it was ruled that they were not granted protection under U.S. law as a colony of America, many Filipinos were especially unhappy. The tensions were far too high for America to maintain full rule over the nation, so high that even champions of imperialism like Theodore Roosevelt admitted that the cost of an empire was too high. The realization of the true cost of an empire as well as increasing apathy towards the situation led America to a rather quick decline in its appetite for imperialism.

4. How did the United States contribute to the development of Cuba and Puerto Rico?
The United States made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory, hence granting all Puerto Ricans citizenship. Being a territory, however, they were still able to establish their own government, ultimately being controlled by America. Cuba remained under military occupation until they were granted independence under certain restrictions in 1901. While America had control of these territories, we helped to improve infrastructure and bring new technology into the region. If it was only to help American businesses in the region, it ended up also helping to improve the region’s overall way of life.

5. Why did many Cubans come to resent the U.S. presence on their island?
In order for the U.S. to give Cuba its independence, McKinley gave a set of rules that the Cubans must follow. These were outlined in the Platt Amendment to the independence treaty proposed, and chief among them were U.S. control over the Cuban economy and U.S. veto power for Cuban foreign policy. When Cuba reluctantly agreed to these provisions, American businessman took control over the Cuban sugar industry and began making huge profits. They set up deals with Cuban plantation owners that were simply terrible for the owner. Cubans were having trouble finding work in the economy controlled by America as well as Spanish immigrants, which led to a slow buildup of tension against the United States that would last for years until a revolt broke out.

 

6. Do you believe the United States was imperialist? Why or why not?
Yes and no. I believe the United States began on its journey for more territory overseas with imperialist intentions, but ended up being sort of an economic imperialist. Rather than capturing nations and taking complete control, which they would have done if it didn’t cost so many lives and cause so much tension, the U.S. took control over the central economy of many nations around the world. A purely imperialist country would take nations for the sake of being a powerful nation with territory. The U.S.A., on the other hand, created an economic empire for itself, an empire that maximized profit, not power.

The Spanish-American War

1. How was the United States connected to Cuba in the 1890s?
          The main reason the United States was interested in Cuba was economics. Cuba had large sugar plantations, and the U.S. was the largest purchaser of this sugar in the world. American investors spent millions of dollars in the Sugar industry. This helped to boost the Cuban economy as they had a great place to export their product, as well as making lots of money for the American investors involved. America and Cuba traded over $100,000,000 annually, meaning they relied on each other quite a bit, Cuba for the boosted economy, America for the sugar.

2. What were the main reasons the United States intervened in Cuba? (i.e. went to war) Which reason do you believe was most important? Explain your answer.
           There were many reasons Americans supported intervention in Cuba, some for humanitarian reasons of protecting the innocents dying, some saying American property in Cuba was at risk. American merchants and African-Americans particularly supported war with Spain as an intervention. Businessmen generally supported peaceful negotiations as they were scared of their investments being at risk. This changed when the Maine was blown up. Many businessmen decided that America would actually be at a better economic position overall if they defeated Spain in war, as they would be able to gain other strategic ports around the world. I think gaining economic advantages in trade routes around the world was the most important reason for going to war.

3. Why were many African-Americans eager to serve in the Spanish-American War?
             During this time, America was still rife with prejudice and racism against blacks. Many people believed them to be lesser people still, and them not having as much money or social status contributed to this. One of the only possible ways a black American could raise their social status was through joining the military. The blacks who volunteered for the Spanish-American War were hoping to raise the overall position of blacks in America, and they ended up being elite squads of troops.

4. How did racial attitudes at the turn of the century shape American perceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines?
         Many Americans at this time subscribed to the belief that African-Americans were lesser people. The United States said they would let the Cubans negotiate with the Spaniards, but as they perceived most of them to be black, they decided they needed America’s help in their affairs. A similar situation occurred in the Philippines, as most Americans were not even aware of the place or that it was in rebellion. Mainly only African-American communities sympathized with the Filipino, but as they were not powerful in America, the white men who had only scene the African depictions of Filipino were doing all the negotiating, and took advantage of that. Basically, if someone was darker than an Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Saxons believed they “needed help” in their affairs, which they used as an excuse to make a deal that worked out best for America.

5. Why did Emilio Aguinaldo feel that the United States supported his campaign for Filipino independence?
              Emilio Aguinaldo, the nationalist leader of the Philippines, was convinced that the chief reason the Americans joined his fight was because they wanted Filipino independence. He believed that the Americans felt empathy for the Filipino rebels, as only a hundred or so years ago, they too were fighting for independence from a strong European power. He thought that Dewey’s intervention against Spanish ships was a sign of a world power fighting for the cause of freedom throughout the globe. He didn’t realize that most Americans didn’t even know where the Philippines were, and the ones who did just wanted it as a strategic port.

6. Why do you think the Spanish-American War was called "a splendid little war" by an American diplomat at the time? Do you think we could have a "splendid little war" today? Explain your answer.
            The Spanish-American War was called a “splendid little war” because it was very swift and a definitive victory that worked out well for the United States. I do not believe that we could have such a “splendid little war” today. The underlying goal of the Spanish-American war, although it was not exactly stated outright, was quite obviously to keep the industry of sugar trade with Cuba alive and well in the United States. Nowadays America can’t seem to find a real goal for going to war, as instead of fighting for a nation, or at least supposedly for one as we did for Cuba, we fight against a concept; this fight continues to lower the image of America even further, and gains us nothing like the Spanish-American war gained us ports to control trade around the world. Not to mention, we are terrible at deciding when to leave, which makes our wars longer and longer.