Great Depression Test

Bank Holiday

Emergency closure of all banks in March 1933 to stop bank runs and restore confidence.

Deficit Spending

Government spending more money than it collects in revenue to stimulate the economy.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by the homeless during the Great Depression, named after President Hoover.

New Deal

FDR’s program of relief, recovery, and reform to fight the Great Depression.

Social Security

1935 program providing retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid to the disabled and dependent children.

The Grapes of Wrath

1939 novel by John Steinbeck about Dust Bowl migrants fleeing to California.

Harry Hopkins

FDR’s close advisor and head of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Hugo L. Black

Supreme Court justice appointed by FDR; supported New Deal legislation.

Frances Perkins

First woman in the U.S. Cabinet; Secretary of Labor; helped design Social Security.

Franklin Roosevelt

32nd President; creator of the New Deal; served four terms.

Robert Wagner

Senator who sponsored the Wagner Act, protecting workers’ rights to unionize.

Great Depression

Severe economic downturn starting in 1929 with massive unemployment and bank failures.

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929; stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression.

New Deal

FDR’s plan to provide relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression (1933–1940s).

Glass-Steagall Act (1933)

Established the FDIC and separated commercial banking from investment banking.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Formed (1935)

Jobs program employing millions in public works and arts projects.

FDR’s 2nd Inaugural Address (1937)

FDR’s speech highlighting the ongoing struggles of Americans despite New Deal efforts.

Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act (1930)

Raised tariffs on imports, worsening the Great Depression.

Hundred Days (1933)

FDR’s first 100 days in office with a massive wave of New Deal legislation.

2nd New Deal Begins (1935)

Focused on social welfare programs like Social Security and the Wagner Act.

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) Formed (1934)

Regulated the stock market and protected investors from fraud and insider trading.

Dust Bowl(peaked 1935)

Mid-1930s drought in the Great Plains causing mass migration and crop failure.

Social Security Act (1935)

Established old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid to dependent children and disabled people.

Emergency Banking Relief Act (1933)

Allowed Treasury to inspect banks and reopen only those financially sound.

Federal Securities Act (1933)

Required corporations to provide truthful information on stock offerings.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Put young men to work on conservation projects like planting trees and building parks.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

Paid farmers to reduce crop production to raise agricultural prices.

Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)

Provided direct relief to the needy, such as cash payments for food and clothing.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Built dams, provided electricity, and created jobs in the Tennessee Valley.

National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

Established the PWA and set codes of fair practices for industry (later declared unconstitutional).

Parity

Government-guaranteed price for farm products to stabilize farmers’ incomes.

Federal Deficit

Spending more money than the government collects in revenue; used by FDR to fund New Deal programs.

Social Security Act (SSA)

Provided old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid to dependent children and disabled people.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Provides electricity, flood control, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley region.

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

Regulates the stock market and protects investors from fraud.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Insures individual bank deposits to restore trust in banks.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

Enforces workers’ rights to unionize and bargain collectively; created by Wagner Act.