Grade 8

Unit 2-  Chapter 9 The Great Depression

12/5/12

Aim: to continue discussing the Great Depression

36. On the edge of cities and empty lots, clusters of shacks sprang up. They were called “Hoover Villes” and people slept in the park covered by newspapers called “Hoover blankets”. People blamed President Hoover for the lack of jobs, food, and housing.

37. President Hoover believed that by providing money and jobs was the responsibility of private charities and local and state governments.

38. World War I veterans were promised a bonus or sum of extra money for their service to the country. When they did not receive it they marched on and protested. They were called the “Bonus Army”.

39. In the election of 1932, the Democrats chose Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) to run against President Hoover. FDR had served as governor of New York State. When he was 39 years old he was stricken with polio. This gave him the ability to understand the problems of others.

40. When he accepted the nomination for president, he promised a New Deal to the American people. The phrase “New Deal” came to stand for his administration. He was elected President in 1932.

41. When he was elected, President Roosevelt declared a bank holiday for 4 days for bank inspection to guarantee banks had enough funds. Only the ones that had enough funds would be allowed to open.

42. President Roosevelt spoke to the American people to reassure them that things would get better. He called these speeches “fireside chats”.

43. Roosevelt was called FDR. His program for dealing with the depression contained 3Rs- relief, recovery, and reform.

44. Relief meant giving help to millions in need. Recovery meant helping farmers, workers, and businesses recover from the depression. Reform meant long term change.

45. He had many programs to deal with these:

a. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was designed to provide relief and jobs for young people.

b. Public Works Administration- its purpose was to hire people to build roads, bridges, and dams.

c. Tennessee Valley Authority- its purpose was to control flooding.

46.  Social security Act provided funds for workers who retired or became handicapped.

47. Wagner Act guaranteed workers the right to join unions and practice collective bargaining.

48. Collective bargaining is when union representatives negotiate with employers about wages and working conditions.

49. Roosevelt won the election in 1936 because of the gains he made in the fight against the Great Depression.

12/13/12

Aim to review Chapter 9

50. In 1937, FDR tried to get Congress to change the membership of the Supreme Court. He wanted Congress to pass a law allowing him to name additional court justices. This proposal was called the “Court Packing Plan”.

51. The Fair Labor Standards Act created the first national minimum wage and set the required number of hours a week a person could work at 40 hours. It also abolished child labor.

52. Farmers were hit hard by the Great Depression. The people who lived in the Great Plains were the hardest hit. This region suffered droughts for several years. This changed the soil to dust. Dust storms in this region caused the region to be called the Dust Bowl.

53. African Americans were also hit hard by the Great Depression. Many jobs that were held by African Americans before the Depression were now wanted by white men. Unemployment was 2 xs as high among African Americans. The Relief and Welfare programs of the New Deal did help African Americans.

54. FDR appointed African Americans to important jobs in government.

a. William Hastie became a federal judge.

b. Mary McLeod Bethune became a special advisor on minority affairs.

c. Robert Weaver held an important post in the Department of the Interior.

These three African Americans spoke up for the interests of all African Americans.

55. Mexican Americans were forced to go back to Mexico. The American Indians had the hardest time during the Depression. They had fewer jobs, lower incomes, and they died earlier than other Americans. They also had less schooling. One change for the American Indian was the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. This Act ended the breakup of Indian reservations into small pieces of land. It gave tribes more say about their future and allowed them greater cultural pride.

56. Women made some gains during the Depression. FDR appointed Frances Perkins Secretary of Labor. She was the first woman Cabinet Officer. FDR’s wife, Eleanor Roosevelt worked tirelessly for women’s rights.

57. During the Depression, there was a growth in labor unions. John R. Lewis, the head of the United Mine Workers and others organized workers into an industrial union. An industrial union was made up of all the workers in one industry.

58. Congress of Industrial Organizations was a group of labor unions organized according to industries in 1938. It merged with the AFL in 1955. By the end of the 1930s, 8.5 million workers belonged to unions. All of America’s major industries had been unionized.