The Great Depression & The New Deal Unit: 7B

17. Herbert Hoover

The president who got blamed for the Great Depression.😬
Hoover believed in rugged individualism and thought people should solve problems through hard work, charities, and local governments—not too much federal help. Unfortunately… that did NOT work once the economy fully collapsed.

18. Black Tuesday

The stock market absolutely face-planted.
On October 29, 1929, investors panicked and sold millions of shares. This wasn’t the only cause of the Great Depression, but it was the dramatic opening scene.

19. Causes of the Great Depression

A giant economic disaster casserole.
Main causes:

• Overproduction = too many goods, not enough buyers

• Underconsumption = people didn’t have enough money to buy stuff

• Buying on margin = people used borrowed money to buy stocks

• Bank failures = savings disappeared

• Unequal wealth distribution = rich got richer, everyone else struggled

• Farm problems + tariffs made it even worse

Basically: the economy was built on vibes and bad decisions.

20. Hoovervilles

Shantytowns named to roast Hoover .
Homeless people built makeshift communities during the Depression and sarcastically named them after the president, since many blamed him for doing too little.

21. Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)

Hoover’s “help the top first” recovery plan .
It gave loans to banks, railroads, and big businesses in hopes the money would trickle down. Critics said it helped corporations way more than struggling families.

22. Bonus Army

WWI veterans pulled up to D.C. asking for the money they were promised .
They wanted their war bonuses early because they were broke. Hoover refused, and the government literally used troops to remove them. Terrible PR.

23. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

The ultimate “we’re gonna try literally everything” president .
Won huge support by promising a New Deal for Americans. Super confident, super experimental, and way more active than Hoover.

24. Election of 1932

Hoover got absolutely cooked .
FDR won in a landslide because Americans were DONE with Hoover and wanted bold government action.

25. FDR’s Brain Trust

FDR’s nerd squad .
A group of advisors, professors, and policy experts who helped him create New Deal programs.

26. First New Deal

FDR’s first wave of emergency action .
Focused on the 3 R’s:

• Relief = help people now

• Recovery = restart the economy

Reform = prevent future collapse

27. FDR’s 100 Days

FDR speedran government reform .
In his first 100 days, Congress passed a TON of New Deal laws to stabilize banks, create jobs, and restore confidence.

28. Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act

The government finally said “maybe banks shouldn’t be chaotic” .
Separated commercial banking from investment banking to reduce risky speculation.

29. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

The reason people stopped stuffing money in mattresses .
Insured bank deposits so if a bank failed, your money wouldn’t just vanish.

30. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Jobs for young men + nature .
Put unemployed young men to work planting trees, building parks, and doing conservation projects.

31. Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

Tried to save farmers by paying them to grow LESS food .
The idea was: less supply = higher prices = farmers survive. Weird concept, but that was the logic.

32. Civil Works Administration (CWA)

Temporary jobs program .
Created quick government jobs building roads, schools, and public works during winter unemployment.

33. Works Progress Administration (WPA)

The government said “fine, everyone gets a job” .
Created millions of jobs building roads, bridges, schools, and even supporting artists, writers, and actors.

34. Huey P. Long and the “Share Our Wealth” Program

FDR’s loudest left-wing rival .
Huey Long said FDR wasn’t doing ENOUGH and wanted to heavily tax the rich and redistribute wealth. His slogan was basically: “No one should be super poor while others are insanely rich.”

35. Father Charles Coughlin

Radio priest turned political chaos machine .
At first supported FDR, then turned against him and started criticizing banks, capitalism, and the New Deal.

36. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

One of the most ambitious New Deal programs ever .
Built dams and power plants in the rural South to provide electricity, flood control, and jobs.

37. Dust Bowl

The Plains became an actual dust apocalypse .
Bad farming + drought = giant dust storms that ruined farms and forced many families to migrate west.

38. The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck’s Depression-era pain novel .
Followed an Oklahoma family moving west after losing everything in the Dust Bowl. Symbol of migrant suffering.

39. Dorothea Lange

Photographer who documented Depression suffering .
Her photos (like Migrant Mother) showed the human cost of poverty and hardship.

40. Second New Deal

FDR’s “okay let’s go even bigger” sequel .
Focused more on workers, unions, and long-term social welfare than the First New Deal.

41. Frances Perkins

Absolute reform icon .
First woman to serve in a presidential cabinet. Helped shape labor reforms and Social Security.

42. Wagner Act

Big union win .
Protected workers’ right to join unions and bargain collectively. Also created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

43. Fair Labor Standards Act

The government finally said “children should maybe not be in factories” .
Set:

• minimum wage

• maximum work hours

• restrictions on child labor

44. Social Security Act

One of FDR’s biggest legacies .
Created federal support for:

• the elderly

• the unemployed

• some disabled Americans

Basically the foundation of the U.S. safety net.

45. Court Packing Plan

FDR tried to add more justices to the Supreme Court because they kept blocking New Deal laws .
He said older judges needed help… but everyone knew it was a power move. It failed and made him look shady.

46. Keynesian Economics

The idea that in a crisis, the government should SPEND money to boost the economy .
Instead of waiting for the market to fix itself, Keynes said the government should jump in with jobs and spending.