The New Deal

Vocabulary flashcards for key programs and policies of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.

Emergency Banking Act

Provided for the reopening of banks under strict conditions and took the U.S. off the gold standard during the New Deal.

Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)

Made grants to local agencies to help impoverished people during the Great Depression.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Employed unemployed men in outdoor manual labor, including building infrastructure and conservation projects.

Public Works Administration (PWA)

Contracted private companies to construct roads, schools, hospitals, and other public facilities to increase employment.

Civil Works Administration (CWA)

Ordered construction of highways, tunnels, courthouses, and airports but was dissolved due to concerns about dependency on government jobs and spiraling costs.

National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

Created public works jobs through the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and established the National Recovery Administration.

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

Established by NIRA; brought together labor and business leaders to create 'codes of fair competition' and 'fair labor' practices, but was later ruled unconstitutional in 1935.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Built dams and power plants to create jobs and provide electricity to rural areas, making the federal government a competitor in selling electricity.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

Authorized the federal government to set production quotas and pay farmers to plant less crops. Crops and livestock were destroyed, declared unconstitutional in 1936.

Glass-Steagall Act

Prevented commercial banks from engaging in buying or selling stocks.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Established by the Glass-Steagall Act; a government system that insured the accounts of individual depositors.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

Issued long-term mortgages to families, although rarely in racially mixed or minority communities.

Wagner Act

Established the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to supervise union representation elections and banned unfair business practices like blacklisting.

Social Security Act

Created the Social Security system, including retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, and public assistance.

Works Progress Administration

Part of the Second New Deal and provided jobs in public works, arts, and education, employing millions of Americans.

Housing Act of 1937

Provided public housing for low-income families.

Fair Labor Standards Act

Established minimum wage, maximum work hours, and outlawed child labor.