Franklin Roosevelt tried to fulfill promises of a new deal for the

American people through a period of intense legislative activity known as

the Hundred Days.

FDR’s paralysis

In 1921, FDR was stricken with an illness that caused paralysis from the waist down

He successfully hid his affliction from the public eye

1928 photo

Teddy Roosevelt, Eleanor’s uncle and Franklin’s distant cousin, led Eleanor down the aisle when she married Franklin. Although Franklin followed in Teddy’s political footsteps, he did so as a Democrat rather than a Republican.

Before becoming President in 1932, FDR won election to the New York state legislature in 1910, served as assistant secretary of the navy from 1913 to 1920, gained the Democratic nomination as Vice President in 1920, and won the governorship of New York in 1928 and 1930.

FDR was willing to institute direct relief and to try experimental measures.

FDR’s solutions were not part of a comprehensive economic vision, but instead a series of reactions to specific economic problems.

His actions were welcomed by a public hungry for governmental response

A bank run in Michigan was threatening to ruin a number of national banks

As soon as FDR took office, he called for a partial bank holiday until Congress convened a few days later. He used the time to work out a plan to restore public confidence in the nation’s banking system.

The federal government only let banks reopen if they were solvent and promised to come up with a solution for the others

His actions restored a measure of confidence

The success of the banking bill led FDR to push forward with the rest of his New Deal legislation. The bills addressed the three R’s: relief for the unemployed, recovery measures to stimulate the economy, and reform laws to help lessen the threat of another economic disaster.

To relieve immediate suffering, FDR asked Congress to fund the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which would distribute $500 million in aid to state and local relief agencies. However, because Roosevelt disliked the dole, he immediately asked Congress to put people back to work by approving the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Public Works Administration (PWA).

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To help factories recover, FDR sponsored the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). The NIRA called on business leaders to set quality standards, production levels, prices, maximum work hours, and minimum wages. The standards were then approved by the government. It also declared that workers should be allowed to form unions and to bargain collectively. The task of carrying out the law fell to the National Recovery Administration (NRA).

Businesses that complied could show the above sticker on their goods

                      

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Other programs aimed at spurring recovery included the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), which paid farmers a subsidy to reduce production.

He also created the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which helped electrify the Tennessee River region with hydroelectric dams.

The most important reform measures were the Truth-in-Securities Act, which attempted to eliminate fraud in the stock market, and the Glass-Steagall Banking Act, which banned banks from investing savings deposits in the stock market. The Glass-Steagall Act also established the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC) to insure bank deposits in member banks.

FDR used frequent radio broadcasts known as fireside chats to promote his programs and to inspire confidence in the people. He also held weekly press conferences that made him popular with reporters.

1932 photo

1928 photo