First New Deal

• FERA: Federal Emergency Relief Act


  $500 million for states to spend on relief

  • took a long time to set up

  Second New Deal: Harry Hopkins (Head of FERA) recognised Americans were freezing to death because of terrible conditions unemployment had left them in, so set up the CWA (Civil Works Administration)

  • $400 million spent on Civil Works projects, for example building new schools

  This saved 4.2 million people who were suffering badly from unemployment.
• HORA: Home Owners Refining Act

  Extended mortgage payments - 20 years rather than 5

  Reduced monthly payments

  • This made it easier for 1 million people to keep their homes.
• PWA: Public Works Administration 


  Given $3.3 billion of federal money to spend on big construction project - create jobs for workers

  • However many who were unemployed were in desperate positions and could not wait for these construction projects to be set up (needed immediate relief)
  • FERA recognised that if little had begun by winter, Americans may freeze to death.
• CCC (in terms of unemployment rather than agriculture): Civilian Conservation Corporation


  Took unemployed men into the countryside and gave them tough outdoor jobs for $30 dollars a month.

  They took part in trail building, reservoir digging, etc.

  • Like with the PWA, these big construction projects took a while to get started
  • Applied only to 17-23 year olds

  (Only 500,000 men taking part by 1935)

  However this was a popular and successful project, money earned by the men was sent back home to their families so that they could benefit from the scheme too.
• TVA: Tennessee Valley Authority


  Federal planning agency for the south.

  3 Main Ideals:

  1. Provide work
  2. Generate and extend electricity
  3. Control flooding