Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal

In Ecclesiastes 9:12 it says, "Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them." The people of the United States weren't expecting their economy to go down the drain. To them the U.S.A. was safe, and always would be safe.

The States were hit hard when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. The people weren't expecting it. They thought everything was good until unemployment skyrocketed to 25% in early 1933. President Hoover tried everything in his power to bring the country out of this hell hole.

Many people suffered because of the terrible economy. They were worried it would stay that bad. No one had money, food, jobs, or "worldly necessities." The people were looking for a way out of that massive downfall known as the Great Depression. It took a large amount of work to dig them out of that hole.

In 1933 the country caught a glimpse of happier times to come when Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised, "I have a New Deal for the American people." (http://www.essortment.com/all/fdrnewdealfra_rgst.htm) Most everyone was looking to FDR to bring the States out of the depression. Even from his youth he was charming and likeable, but that didn't mean everyone liked him. He had plenty of people that had worked against him because they didn't believe his ways in presidency were right.

When running against President Hoover for office, Roosevelt gained votes by offering his New Deal and the anti-depression movements. With the difference of over seven million votes FDR was the President of the United States. Within the first week he passed an act, giving the citizens hope for a better future. He opened many opportunities for families to try and find jobs.

The New Deal started out when FDR came into presidency. Some people thought the New Deal was the answer to all their problems, while others saw it digging the country deeper in to depression. Even though it opened more jobs, it also raised the taxes to pay for those jobs to be available. People weren't sure what to expect, whether the economy would rise up or shatter to pieces. But Roosevelt helped the people to push through those ugly times. He opened several acts including the WPA, Economy Act, and the CCC, which helped make more jobs and cut government salaries to save money.

The Great Depression started in President Herbert Hoover's term when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. That day known as Black Tuesday was the start to the United States' plummet into the depression. Hoover tried to rescue the country by creating many programs.

In June 1930 Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. This act raised the price on imported goods. Hoover thought it would help the country spend money and bring it out of the depression, but other countries disagreed with that, and raised the price on American-made products. This then slowed the international trade down to snail speed and brought the States deeper into the depression.

In early 1933 the unemployment rate was at 25% and that's when a drought persisted in the main agriculture area. All those families were depending on many bank loans. This then cause 5,000 banks to shut down. When all the banks failed it led hundreds of thousands of people to become homeless.

In his final attempt to help the country, Hoover passed two more acts. First, the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, which helped family's homes from foreclosing and also helped build new homes. And second, the Emergency Relief and Construction Act, which opened public work areas to build dams. It also created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), which attempted to secure government funded loans to railroads, institutions, and farmers.

All of these things were done with good intentions, but overall it just ended up hurting the country more. Hoover was then at the end of his term and Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president in 1932.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born an only child to James and Sara Delano Roosevelt. He grew up in a rich home and he was very sociable. His mother was very protective of him and always took him to Europe in his early years of life. When he was a bit older he went to a boarding school called Groton.

Both of Roosevelt's parents were from respectful wealthy Dutch and French ancestry. His father's mother, Mary Rebecca Aspinwall, was related to the wife of President James Monroe. While his mother's father, Warren Delano II was the State's non-exclusive supplier of opium-based medicine during the Civil War. He made more than one million dollars.

Sara Delano Roosevelt was very possessive of her son, being that her husband was an elderly father. She would take him to Europe where he learned many things like, playing polo, lawn tennis, and how to speak in French and German. He was a well diverse student.

Endicott Peabody, the headmaster of Groton School, influenced FDR to be involved in public service. This school then urged him on to Harvard where he met his future wife. Eleanor Roosevelt was his fifth cousin and they were in love. In 1905 he went to law school, but dropped out in 1907 because he passed the State Bar exam of New York. He then received a job at a Wall Street firm of Ledyard and Milburn in 1908.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt married Eleanor Roosevelt on March 17, 1905. They moved to FDR's family estate, Springwood, where Sara Roosevelt visited often. The young couple ended up having six kids, all but one of them surviving.

When Roosevelt was on vacation at Campobello Island, New Brunswick in August 1921 he became paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors later diagnosed it as Polio. FDR never once claimed he couldn't walk. He probably had a difficult time coping with it considering he was an active man. Because he didn't believe he would be paralyzed for the rest of his life he tried every form of therapy he could.

In 1926 he bought a resort for people who had his same condition called Roosevelt Warm Springs in Warm Springs, Georgia. It is still running to this day and is and Institution for Rehabilitation. After he became president, he helped found a place to help Infantile Paralysis. This was known as the March of Dimes, which is the main reason he appears on the American dime.

The New Deal started the week after FDR's inauguration with the Emergency Banking Act. The EBA, which allows the Treasury Department to give funds to reopen the banks, was introduced, passed, and approved all in one day. The New Deal gave hope to Americans that the Great Depression would soon come to an end. But along with the good things like the WPA, the Economy Act, and the CCC, the New Deal brought the bad