ACT - The New Deal

New Deal Programs More than any other president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt – popularly known by his initials, FDR – expanded the size of the federal government, altered its scope of operations, and greatly enlarged presidential powers. He would dominate the nation and the government for an unprecedented stretch of time, 12 years, and two months. FDR became one of the most influential world leaders of the 20th century. Roosevelt’s first task upon taking office was to alleviate the panic that was threatening the financial system. He did so in part by force of personality and in part by constructing very rapidly an ambitious and diverse program of legislation. This new legislation would be known as The New Deal. Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a different agency of The New Deal. Perspective 1 The FDIC improved consumer confidence in the banking system by insuring deposits in Federal Reserve member banks, a guarantee they still provide bank customers today. In 1934, only nine of the FDIC-insured banks failed, and no depositors in those failed banks lost their savings. Perspective 2 The main goal of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 was to restore consumer confidence in the securities markets. The law established the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate and oversee brokerage firms, stock exchanges, and other agents. Perspective 3 With the passage of the Social Security Act, the U.S. government established an agency to register citizens for benefits, to collect taxes on both employers and employees to fund the benefits, and to distribute those funds to beneficiaries. Social Security helped not only the elderly, but also the blind, the unemployed, and dependent children. Essay Task Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple examples of New Deal legislation and explain which had a larger impact on society from the Great Depression up to the present day. In your essay, be sure to: • analyze and evaluate the perspectives given • state and develop your own perspective on the issue • explain the relationship between your perspective and those given Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Whatever the case, support your ideas with logical reasoning and detailed, persuasive examples.