New Deal’s Affect & Impact on AmericansNew Deal’s Affect & Impact on Americans

Did all people have the opportunity to benefit fully from the New Deal?

Affect on Women

1) Women appointed to government positions, more jobs

• Frances Perkins = America’s 1st female cabinet member (Sec. of Labor)

2) Women face discrimination

● NRA sets lower minimum wage for women than men● FERA hire less women than men, CCC hires only men, but overall more women in workforce (from 11.7 to 15.6%)

Affect on African-Americans

- A. Phillip Randolph: organized the country’s 1st all-black trade union

- Many African-Americans appointed to key positions in the Fed. Gov’t

1) Mary McLeod Bethune: headed the Division of Negro Affairs of the NYA2) “Black Cabinet”: organized by Bethune & supported by Eleanor Roosevelt

-FDR does little for Civil Rights, won’t support anti-lynching law or ending poll tax. NRA, CCC, TVA discriminated against blacks

• influential African-Americans who advised FDR on racial issues

John Collier’s Indian Reorganization Act of 1934

- Government policy changed from assimilation to Native American autonomy. There were three changes:

1. economic: Native American land would belong to the entire tribe2. cultural: Native American children could now attend schools on reservations (boarding schools closed)3. political: Tribes given permission to elect their own members for their own tribal government

Organized Labor

1) Labor Unions flourish:•union membership increases from 3 to 10 million

2) Labor issues:

•AFL (skilled labor) rejects unions that rep. all workers in a given industry, CIO forms rep semi & unskilled workers•Some violent strikes like Republic Steel Plant in Chicago

Overall Impact of the New Deal

• FDR re-elected in 1940 (3rd term)• Most minority groups still support FDR• Federal Government expands, but also goes into debt• More regulation of business (SEC, FDIC, NLRB)• Environmental protections (CCC, TVA)• More Govt help for elderly and unemployed (SSA), FDR calls

for 2nd Bill of Rights