Key Figures and Events of the Great Depression and New Deal

These flashcards cover key figures, programs, and concepts related to the Great Depression and the New Deal, providing a comprehensive overview for exam preparation.

Herbert Hoover

Believed in limited government; failed to end Depression; ordered removal of Bonus Army.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

President known for New Deal programs and 'Fireside Chats'; led U.S. through the Great Depression and WWII.

Harry S. Truman

Completed WWII and managed the postwar transition.

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady and advocate for civil rights and social reform.

Frances Perkins

First woman in a U.S. cabinet as Secretary of Labor; helped create the Social Security Act.

Huey Long

Advocated for the 'Share Our Wealth' program and aimed to heavily tax the rich.

Charles Coughlin

Radio priest who opposed FDR’s financial policies.

Francis Townsend

Proposed pensions for the elderly, inspiring the Social Security Act.

Bonus Army

WWI veterans who demanded early bonus payments and were violently evicted under Hoover.

CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations)

Broke from AFL; supported sit-down strikes and was more inclusive racially and industrially.

NRA (National Recovery Administration)

Regulated industry to ensure fair wages and prices.

PWA (Public Works Administration)

Oversaw large infrastructure projects.

CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)

Provided jobs for young men in conservation projects.

TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)

Focused on rural electrification and flood control.

AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act)

Paid farmers to reduce crop production.

WPA (Works Progress Administration)

Jobs program that funded art, music, and writing.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

Increased import taxes, worsening the Great Depression.

Scottsboro Boys Trial

A legal case highlighting racial injustice in Southern courts.

Emergency Banking Act

Reopened solvent banks after FDR’s 'bank holiday'.

Social Security Act

Established pensions, unemployment insurance, and welfare programs.

Wagner Act

Strengthened labor unions by protecting collective bargaining rights.

Court Packing Plan

FDR's unsuccessful attempt to add justices to the Supreme Court to protect New Deal laws.

Uneven Prosperity (1920s)

The economic divide between urban and rural areas.

Great Depression (1929 to early WWII)

Characterized by stock market crash leading to bank failures and widespread unemployment.

Bank Run

Panic-induced withdrawals that were halted by FDR's 'bank holiday'.

Hoovervilles

Makeshift homeless camps that arose during the Great Depression.

Redlining

HOLC maps that denied loans to minority neighborhoods.

New Deal Coalition

A diverse voter base supporting FDR, including workers, minorities, and the rural poor.

First New Deal (1933–34)

Focused on emergency relief and financial reform.

Second New Deal (1935–36)

Concentrated on social welfare and labor protections.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the South to the industrial North and West, accelerated by WWI and WWII.