Opposition to Roosevelt

• In the 1936 election, Roosevelt won 60.8% of the popular vote, when his opponent won 36.5%
• In 1936, the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress
• In 1936, Roosevelt won through vague promises and his charisma
• Roosevelt was concerned with the Supreme Court's operations and felt it needed reform
• The Supreme Court had supported much New Deal legislation, but found 11 federal laws unconstitutional in 1935 and 1936
• On 27th May 1935, the Farm Mortgage Act was declared unconstitutional
• The 'sick chicken' case involved the Schechter Brothers, who were accused and prosecuted by NIRA for selling chickens unfit for human consumption
• The Schechter Brothers appealed to the Supreme Court, who decided that this was a state, not federal, issue and that the poultry code was unconstitutional. Therefore, the federal government couldn't intervene in internal state affairs
• Roosevelt though that the Supreme Court justices were out of touch and stifling to democracy
• On 3rd February 1937, Roosevelt presented the Judiciary Reform Bill, which would give him the power to appoint a new justice as the existing ones turned 70 and add up to 6 new appointees
• The Judiciary Reform Bill made Roosevelt look power-hungry and he underestimated popular support for the Court
• The Judiciary Reform Bill was rejected by the Senate in July 1937 70-20
• Justice Von Devanter announced his retirement and the Supreme Court began to accept New Deal legislation
• The AAA became dominated on a local level by powerful landowners and the sentiment became that the AAA benefitted the wealthy
• Farm income doubled in the 1930s, but it still only reached 80% of 1914 levels
• Years of overploughing in agricultural regions made the soil fine and dusty, which in dry years, caused the topsoil to blow away. High winds led to high soil erosion
• By 1934, 35 million acres of arable soil was destroyed and 125 million acres was exhausted
• Homes were buried by the Dustbowl, land was destroyed and many were forced to migrate
• Oklahoma lost 440 000 migrants during the 1930s
• Unemployment was a 39% in Arkansas in 1933
• 220 000 migrated to California for work, but the state expelled migrants
• The Soil Erosion Service was formed in August 1933 to divide farms into soil conservation districts
• Eventually, in 1937, floods came across 12 states, making 150 000 people homeless and killing 4 000
• Many employers rejected labour unions, resulting in violence and the use of 'blackleg' labour during strikes
• John Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers, broke away from the AFL in 1935 to form the Committee of Industrial Organisations (CIO)
• The CIO achieved union recognition from the automobile, steel, rubber, electricity, textile and farm implement industries by the end of 1937
• Union membership rose from 4 million in 1936 to 7 million in 1937 and strikes rose from 637 in 1930 to 4 740 in 1937, worrying employers and violence ensued
• Roosevelt did nothing about the strikes until 1940, when unions became the largest contributors to the Democrat Party
• Roosevelt cut federal expenditure in June 1937 to create a balanced budget
• After Roosevelt's 1937 cuts, there was a recession as business couldn't match the gap in funding
• Unemployment rose from 7 000 000 in 1937 to 10 390 000 in 1938
• Social security payments rose to $2 billion after 1937
• A Temporary National Economic Committee (TNEC) was formed to investigate corporate price-fixing, but any evidence was useless because it was presented after the recession was over
• Recovery from the Roosevelt recession was slow, but Roosevelt was moving towards massive government intervention