We started out by watching the rest of the New Deal movie. FDR started the Social Security Act, which was the first law that provided older citizens with money. The government also started to protect the rights of workers. A worker could not be fired for joining a union. FDR started the Court-packing Bill so that many of his New Deal Laws would not be called unconstitutional. He thought this would help his cause but it actually backfired. Many Americans thought of FDR as Hitler. They didn’t want the Supreme Court to be composed of more than nine Justices.
FDR also started to prime the pump. He put government money into the economy. The Great Depression strengthened the United States economy. It also brought people closer together. Neighbors were starting to help each other.
Next we went over Mr. Bruns' powerpoint. FDR won the 1932 election by a landslide because many people blamed Hoover for the Great Depression. FDR had a Brain Trust which meant that he surrounded himself with smart people that could help him accomplish things. The NIRA helped workers get better pay and working conditions. The New Deal was challenged because it was far from a Laissez Faire approach and it also created a very powerful president. Many of the acts appeared to be unconstitutional. The New Deal also created a heavy debt burden.
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