gush unit test 1

policies of the Guys

Agricultural marketing act of 1929

tried to stabilize the decreasing crop prices, provided limited stimulus, established optional Federal Farm Board

Smoot Hawley Tariff (1930)

raised tariffs (from 40 to 60) even more than in 1922 to spur domestic consumerism (but no one has $), makes foreign markets more hostile

President’s Emergency Committee for Employment (1931)

PECE encouraged businesses & citizens to voluntarily donate to private charities/aid obv didn’t work bc everyone is broke 

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1932)

provided direct aid to financial org like banks → more effective under FDR bc too late to bail out the banks

Emergency banking act of 1933

establish 4 day bank holiday to pause diseased banks → federal reserve inspect banks + flood money into banks that need → people can hopefully come back and put their assets back into banks so banks can do their job; inflation is what we WANT rn

Glass Steagall Banking Act of 1933

separation btwn banks.

• Commercial banks: banked used by regular people, dealt w/ small businesses + individuals, not allowed to deal in securities (fake things like stocks or investments).

• Investment banks: dealt in securities.

• All to increase consumer confidence; no speculating with normal people money.

• Establishes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in which the federal gov insures the amt of money in your amt if a crash is abt to happen

Federal Emergency Relief Agency

congress approves 500 mil dollars to disburse state and city govs in their relief coordination efforts—just giving money

Civil Works Administration

federal gov provided public service jobs to people out of work—CWA is work

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

govt bought land from farmers and destroyed all crops/livestock on land to prevent overproduction & increase prices (kind of worked)

1933 National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

• omnibus bill requiring govt and business to coordinate standard practice codes (favored big corps, not every small business is invited) & gave rights to workers (unions)

• the super ambitious one

• had to be approved by NRA (National Recovery Administration)

Public Works Admin (PWA)

3.3 bil for public works 

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

created dams & cleared forests for hydropower to bring electricity to southeast → public utility, very cheap for residents

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

popular program which employed mainly men between 17-25 to work on national preservation/parks w/ wages of 30/mo. (25 sent home to families)

American Liberty League

want to lower taxes, anti-regulation, anti-NIRA, localism, anti-spending—conservatives.

Also makes the claim that new deal is anticonstitutional; conservative democrats (roosevelts biggest haters! Al smith, herbert hoover, conservatives).

attacked FDR for redistributing wealth, said it is unconstitutional to extend federal control to business

Huey Long

governor, souther populist, limit the wealth (wealth cap), guaranteed minimum income, old age pension—thinks new deal didn’t go far enough in decentralizing wealth

Charles Coughlin

catholic priest with a radio show, criticze because bankers :( are still in power, thinks that banking is bad as a structure

A.L.A Schechter Poultry Corp v US (1935)

SCOTUS invalidates NIRA bc it gave president too much power (legislating “regulatory” laws is for Congress) even though the corp was selling diseased chickens

US v Butler (1936)

• A court case over federal taxation under the AAA for cotton growers. Cotton growers argue that this taxation is unconstitutional overreach; federal government argues that taxation is legal under “general welfare” → supreme court argues that the federal gov’s taxation is unconstitutional bc it is taxing for regulatory purposes + not for general welfare

  • TLDR Argues that this is bad because congress should not have just be allowed to use tax money to “monkey around”

  • Also makes the argument that agriculture is a state issue

Judicial Reform Bill (1937)

a bill which would allow president to appoint a new judge to a given circuit for every judge who hit 70 (nothing in constitution limits # of judges) ←there was a legitimacy crisis happening

Social Security Act (1935)

• omnibus bill which created federal social insurance which targeted elderly, unemployed, children w/ health needs, public health (not eligible til 1942)

  • Funded by payroll tax (by employed citizens), excluded agriculture/domestic workers

National Labor Relations Act (1935) aka Wagner Act

guaranteed workers to form unions, made it illegal for employers to retaliate, supervised union elections, NLRB (board) investigated businesses for unfair practices/standards