2. HAWLEY-
SMOOT TARIFF
• The U.S. was not the only
country gripped by the
Great Depression
• Much of Europe suffered
throughout the 1920s
• In 1930, Congress passed
the toughest tariff in U.S.
history called the
Hawley- Smoot Tariff
• It was meant to protect
U.S. industry yet had the
opposite effect
• Other countries enacted
their own tariffs and soon
world trade fell 40%
3. HOOVER’S PHILOSOPHY
• Hoover was not quick to
react to the depression
• He believed in “rugged
individualism” – the idea
that people succeed
through their own efforts
• People should take care of
themselves, not depend on
governmental hand-outs
• He said people should
“pull themselves up by
their bootstraps”
Hoover believed it was the individuals job to
take care of themselves, not the
governments
4. HOOVER’S SUCCESSFUL
DAM PROJECT
• Hoover successfully
organized and authorized
the construction of the
Boulder Dam (Now called
the Hoover Dam)
• The $700 million project
was the world’s tallest
dam (726 feet) and the
second largest (1,244 feet
long)
• The dam currently
provides electricity, flood
control and water for 7
western states
6. HOOVER TAKES ACTION:
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
• Hoover gradually softened his
position on government
intervention in the economy
• He created the Federal Farm
Board to help farmers
• He also created the National
Credit Organization that
helped smaller banks
• His Federal Home Loan Bank
Act and Reconstruction
Finance Corp were two
measures enacted to protect
people’s homes and
businesses
Hoover’s flurry of activity came
too late to save the economy or
his job
8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
Elected President, 1932
on promise of getting
the economy back on
its feet.
In 1933, after only a few
weeks in office, he
proposes a plan called
The New Deal.
9. “The only thing we have to fear
is fear itself.”
In his first inaugural address, FDR soothed U.S.
citizens with these words.
FDR’s New Deal plan offered new federal
programs to improve the economy and
help those in need.
He also begins a series of radio talks
called the “Fireside Chats.” He spoke on
the air about conditions in the nation and
what the gov’t. was doing about them.
These informal talks help make people
feel more hopeful.
10. Major New Deal Acts and Agencies
•Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA):
- Provided funds for local and state relief organizations.
From May 1933 until it closed in December, 1935,
FERA gave states and localities $3.1 billion.
FERA provided work for over 20 million people
and developed facilities on public lands across the country
11. National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA):
- Created work codes and industry safety regulations.
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC):
- Gave 2.5 million young men work in environmental
improvement projects.
12. Social Security Act:
- Gave benefits to the elderly and orphaned and
to people injured in industrial accidents.
Social Security is currently estimated to keep
roughly 40% of all Americans age 65 or older out of poverty
Most women and minorities were initially excluded from the
benefits of unemployment insurance and old age pensions.
Employment definitions reflected typical white male categories
and patterns.
Nearly two-thirds of all African Americans in the labor force,
70 to 80% in some areas in the South, and just over half of
all women employed were not covered by Social Security.
]
Amendments over the years have changed that.
13. Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA):
- Gave farmers money to make up for the government’s
request to bring fewer crops to market.
Works Progress Administration (WPA):
- Provided government funds for constructing buildings
and to hire writers and artists.
Almost every community in the United States
had a park, bridge or school constructed by the agency.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA):
- Provided funds to develop the Tennessee River Valley.
Serves 9 million people in seven states.
14. Farm Security Administration (FSA):
- Lent money to sharecroppers and tenant farmers
to help them buy their own land. Later becomes FHA.
The FSA is
famous for its
small but
highly influential
photography
program,
1935–44, that
portrayed the
challenges of
rural poverty.
15. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB):
- Guaranteed workers the right to join labor unions and
call strikes.
