FDR's 1st 100days

• Characteristics


  Roosevelt was not lazy, but rather industrious, in the months between election & taking office.
• He built up a team of advisors & many were young academics, they were known as the 'brain trust'. Their analysis of the origins of the crisis was that, internal factors were the main cause and that the focus of the solutions should be on, & within the US.
• The brain trust felt that the federal gov. should play a much larger role in the regulation of the economic life of the country. The brains trust advisors firmly believed in both democracy & capitalism, but were also evry progressive, adaptable & above all, pragmatic.
• For little or no pay, men like

  Adolph Berle, Raymond Moley, Rexford Tugwell & Henry Wallace came to Washington to assist Roosevelt.

  They formed teams to look at specific areas of the economy:

  • farming
  • prices
  • jobs
  • welfare
  • banking
• They prepared policies & possible new laws to deal with the problems they found. Many were very young compared to most politicians at the time, & were willing to challenge what many saw were there right & only way of doing things. The brain trust were committed to bringing an end to the depression & the devastating impact it was having on citizens.
• The Democrats had won the presidency, and also had a clear majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, there were large potential divisions within the Democratic Party.
• Democrats from the South tended to be both very conservative and racist. Those who came from states which depended very heavily on farming often had very different priorities from those who came from more urbanised states where there was a high level of manufacturing. However, Roosevelt appeared very confident that his party could deal with the crisis.
• He had great skill in getting people to work together and he managed both the press and the new mass media of the radio very effectively to get his messages across to the people. He was ready to take action with his New Deal by the time he moved into the White House in March 1933.
• Under the US Constitution, the president does not have many powers when it comes to domestic policy:

  • All Cabinet members have to be approved by the Senate.
• Under the US Constitution, the president does not have many powers when it comes to domestic policy:

  • All new laws must pass through Congress, and both the House of Representatives and the Senate can reject a bill.
• Under the US Constitution, the president does not have many powers when it comes to domestic policy:

  • If the president vetoes a bill, Congress can overturn his veto by a two-thirds majority.
• Under the US Constitution, the president does not have many powers when it comes to domestic policy:

  • The president's budget has to be passed by Congress (and they would frequently make changes to it).
• Under the US Constitution, the president does not have many powers when it comes to domestic policy:

  • If the president does get a law through Congress, the independent Supreme Court could declare that law unconstitutional and ban its implementation.
• Roosevelt had to work within these limitations. However, initially he had a fairly easy task. The newly-elected Congress had a large Democratic majority, many from Northern cities where the effects of the Depression were severe.
• Congress wanted action. There was great public demand for change and solutions to deal with the crisis. Roosevelt appointed some moderate Republicans to his cabinet, including Harold Ickes as Secretary of the Interior and Henry Wallace as Secretary for Agriculture.
• These were both key appointments on the domestic front and helped to show a united approach to solving the serious problems facing the country. He also appointed the first female cabinet member as his Labour Secretary. Frances Perkins was a former social worker with an extensive knowledge of city poverty.
• Once established, Roosevelt worked very hard to restore confidence in the US economic system, with his famous fireside chats on the radio and clever management of the press.
• fireside chats

  During the 1930s, Roosevelt gave regular national radio broadcasts in the evening to try to restore confidence in the government and to persuade people to support his policies. They were listened to by millions of US citizens.
• frances perkins

  Perkins was the first woman in the

  US cabinet when

  Roosevelt appointed her as Secretary of Labour. She was a committed radical and humanitarian and was a great advocate for the Civilian Conservation Corps and supporter

  of issues such as minimum wages, restriction of child labour and maximum hours of work.
• Roosevelt was elected as president in November 1932 and had until March 1933 to prepare before his inauguration.
• His Brains Trust and new cabinet members had been busy. When they were in the White House, Roosevelt called Congress, which had a significant Democratic majority in both Houses, to an emergency session to pass new laws.
• By the end of March 1933, he had ordered a bank holiday, which closed all the banks for four days and he pushed an Emergency Act through Congress which finally gave the federal government real powers to regulate the banking system.
• With an Economy Act, which promised to balance the budget and cut government spending (but carefully excluded any additional spending on recovery programmes) and a brilliant media campaign, he was able to restore confidence in the banking system. Within weeks, bank closures fell, deposits in banks increased, stock exchange prices started to rise and people started to spend again. The immediate crisis seemed over.

  This was to be only the start of Roosevelt's recovery programme.
• By the end of June 1933, Roosevelt's government had managed to get a large number of acts through Congress and had taken on new powers which allowed it to regulate and control various aspects of the economy. No US government, before or since, has been able to take so much action in so little time. This period became known as the First Hundred Days.
• Policies introduced during Roosevelt's First Hundred Days included:


  The Emergency Banking Act. This gave the government greater powers over banking. It also promised that money put into a bank by a saver would be secure. It was vital in restoring public confidence in banks. This passed through Congress in a single day.
• Policies introduced during Roosevelt's First Hundred Days included:


  The Economy Act. This promised to balance the budget and control government spending, and calmed the fears of many conservatives and helped to restore confidence.

  However, it did not stop the federal government spending large sums of money on relief programmes.
• Policies introduced during Roosevelt's First Hundred Days included:


  The Farm Relief Act (also known as the Agricultural Adjustment Act - AAA). This gave powers to the federal government to act in agricultural matters dealing with prices and production. This was revolutionary.
• Policies introduced during Roosevelt's First Hundred Days included:



  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), By the summer of 1933, over 300,000 unemployed men were put to work on conservation project.
• policy


  The Emergency Relief Administration. This gave $3.1 billion to states and local governments to employ people in local projects. It was more expensive than giving cash relief, but it gave workers dignity and purpose and helped to put more money into the economy.
• policy


  The National Industrial Recovery Act. This enabled the government to regulate industry to ensure fair wages and prices. It included the creation of the Public Works Administration, which aimed to reduce unemployment and spent $3.3 billion in its first year on major projects like dams, roads, schools and hospitals.
• policy


  Regulation of securities in the stock market to prevent the sort of wild speculation which led to the Wall Street Crash.
• policy


  Farm mortgage assistance to help farmers in danger of being evicted.
• policy


  The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). This was a vast project designed to put public money into dam-building, help with the provision of cheap electricity, encourage industrial development and modernise agriculture in the region. It was the first time that the federal government had been involved in such a scheme.
• policy


  The Home Owners Loan Corporation. This helped many who were in danger of losing their homes through non-payment of mortgages, and also helped the institutions which had lent the money.
• policy


  A major financial bill, the Glass-Steagall Banking Act, which tightened regulation of banks and was designed to prevent speculation. It also insured money that savers had put into their banks.
• Roosevelt also ended Prohibition, which banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol. It was intended as a measure to improve morality and health. However, it had actually led to criminal gangs competing violently to control the trade in illegal alcohol and to the bribing of officials not to investigate and prosecute them.
• There was enormous public support for these measures because so many people were delighted that action was now be taken to deal with the crisis. The misery and fear during the hard winter of 1932-33 helped to persuade members of Congress to let through many major laws quickly and with little opposition.
• These actions were seen by Roosevelt as essentially temporary measures to restore confidence and at least make a start on a programme of recovery. The real work would begin in 1934.