10.3 Second New Deal Summary

Second New Deal (1935-1945)

The Second New Deal (1935-1938) included:

  • National Labor Relations Act, 1935

  • Works Progress Administration, 1935

  • Resettlement Administration, 1935

  • Emergency Relief Act, 1935

  • Soil Conservation Act, 1935

  • Social Security Act, 1935

  • Unemployment Insurance, 1935

  • Banking Act of 1935

  • Federal Records Survey, 1935

  • Food, Drug, & Cosmetics Act, 1937

  • National Cancer Institute, 1937

  • Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938

  • Rural Electrification Act, 1935

  • National Youth Administration, 1935

  • Public Utilities Act, 1935

  • Federal Arts Project, 1935

  • Federal Music Project, 1935

  • Federal Theater Project, 1935

The New Deal and the American Workforce

The New Deal and the American Workforce:

  • Eradication of child labor (NIRA, 1933)

  • Minimum wages, maximum hours (NIRA, 1933)

  • Minimum wages for women (NIRA, 1933)

  • Workplace safety initiatives (NIRA, 1933)

  • Right of collective bargaining (Article 7a of NIRA)

  • National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act, 1935)

  • National Labor Relations Board (Wagner Act, 1935)

Social Security

  • Social Security was the cornerstone of the New Deal.

  • Frances Perkins was a key figure in the implementation of Social Security.

  • Origins of Social Security:

    • 50% of over 65 population lived on 300 a year (subsistence level was 2000 a year)

    • Average monthly state payments to elderly: 14 (168 a year)

  • Senate & House Vote:

    • The Senate: 76-6 (93% to 7%)

    • The House: 372-33 (92% to 8%)

The New Deal and African Americans

  • Some progress was nonetheless made through the use of the New Deal administrative state, relief programs, and work programs.

  • The Black Cabinet

  • The so-called "Colored CCC"

    • 250,000 African Americans enrolled in 150 all-black Civilian Conservation Corps companies

  • The WPA's "Negro Night Schools"

  • By 1935, nearly 4 million African American men, women & children received New Deal assistance

  • By 1938, 50% of the nation's African-American families were employed by the New Deal's WPA, PWA, or CCC

  • New Dealers & Race:

    • Pro-Civil Rights:

      • Eleanor

      • Harold Ickes

      • Harry Hopkins

      • Frances Perkins

      • Henry Wallace

      • Sumner Welles

      • FDR?

  • The New Deal administrative state In an unprecedented move, FDR’s Justice Department Civil Rights Section worked closely with the NAACP on cases dealing with:

    • Police brutality

    • Lynching

    • Organized hate groups

    • Voter suppression

  • FDR's attempt to challenge conservative Southern Democrats

    • Coincided with efforts to seek racial equality through the federal courts

    • By appointing a majority of pro-Civil Rights liberals, FDR ensured that the Supreme Court would be receptive to civil rights claims in the postwar era (the so-called Warren court)

1936 Election

  • FDR made the New Deal the centerpiece of his reelection campaign in 1936, particularly Social Security and the NLR.

  • Larger percentages of African-Americans, Catholics, Jews, labor union members, and farmers voted for FDR and other Democratic candidates in 1936 compared to 1932

  • The working class developed loyalty to the Democrats in response to New Deal labor policies during his first term & thus mobilization of working class voters did not occur until FDR ran for reelection in 1936

  • The generational shift among the youngest voters favoring FDR is especially important in categorizing the 1936 election as a realigning election favoring the Democratic Party

The Second New Deal (1935-1938) aimed to provide more comprehensive relief and reform. Key initiatives included the National Labor Relations Act (1935) and the Works Progress Administration (1935). Social Security was a cornerstone, addressing the struggles of the elderly, with 50% living on 300 a year when the subsistence level was 2000. The New Deal also impacted the American workforce through "eradication of child labor" and the establishment of minimum wages and workplace safety initiatives. Substantial progress was made for African Americans with programs like the "Colored CCC" and nearly 4 million receiving New Deal assistance by 1935. FDR's Justice Department Civil Rights Section worked with the NAACP on cases dealing with police brutality, lynching, hate groups, and voter suppression. The 1936 election saw increased support for FDR from African-Americans, Catholics, Jews, labor union members, and farmers: it was a 'realigning election favoring the Democratic Party.'

Larger percentages of African-Americans, Catholics, Jews, labor union members, and farmers voted for FDR and other Democratic candidates in 1936 compared to 1932 ​