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by Holly J.
In 1933 with the Great Depression in full swing and the election of a new president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, America would see a “New Deal,” resulting in many changes for our government and citizens. President Roosevelt proposed his New Deal in response to the growing poverty and unemployment rates. Key elements of this plan gave rise to many organizations and Acts to help the struggling economy and citizens, such as Civilian Conservation Corps, which aimed to provide jobs to 2.5 million unemployed citizens. Along with the Works Progress Administration, which would have created about 9 millions jobs constructing bridges, sidewalks, opera houses, etc., there were also smaller projects such as photography projects, working with Indians on reservations, and working with National Forests and parks (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, webpage). Though only a few of the acts brought to life by Roosevelt are still in existence, the New Deal was a huge step in picking America up and putting almost everyone back on their feet. Roosevelt’s New Deal offered hope for America - a hope that they would get out of the Depression, and a belief that it was actually possible. And while the New Deal may not have immediately produced a new economy, it definitely awakened a new spirit among the American people of the time.
REFERENCES:
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. The Great Depression and the New Deal. Accessed November 10, 2010. http://www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska/picturing-the-century/great-depression.html
Schweikart, L, & Allen, M. "A Patriot's History of the United States" pp. 568-569.
Photo: Franklin D. Roosevelt at a CCC camp. Retrieved from
http://newdeal.feri.org/library/photo_details.cfm?PhotoID=5477&ProjCatID=10471&CatID=24&subCatID=1099
