Study Aid Notes for U.S. History II - Great Depression

Topic 9: The Great Depression

Key Terms

• Stock Market Crash

  • Event that triggered the Great Depression in October 1929.

• Hoover & the Depression

  • Herbert Hoover's policies were viewed as ineffective in addressing the crisis.

• Voluntary Cooperation/Associational Action

  • Idea promoted during Hoover's administration encouraging businesses to maintain employment and wages.

• “Bonus Army” & March on D.C.

  • Protest by WWI veterans in 1932 demanding early payment of a bonus.

• Hoovervilles & Hoover Flags

  • Shantytowns named after President Hoover; flags turned inside out as a sign of protest.

• Scottsboro Boys

  • Nine African American teenagers accused of raping two white women in 1931; pivotal in civil rights activism.

• Election of 1932

  • FDR vs. Hoover; significant shift in public opinion towards government intervention.

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

  • President who implemented the New Deal to counteract the Great Depression.

• Banking Crisis

  • Mass bank failures leading to loss of savings; prompted reforms in banking regulations.

• The New Deal

  • Series of programs and reforms aimed at relief, recovery, and reform to restore the economy.

• Relief, Recovery, Reform

  • Three goals of the New Deal.

• The First Hundred Days

  • Initial period of FDR's administration marked by rapid legislative action.

• “Dust Bowl”

  • Severe drought affecting agricultural production; led to migration and displacement.

• Agricultural Adjustment Act

  • Program to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses.

• Father Charles Coughlin

  • Radio priest who criticized FDR for not doing enough for the poor; exemplified discontent.

• Dr. Francis Townsend

  • Proposed the Townsend Plan for social security for seniors; influenced the development of Social Security.

• Senator Huey Long

  • Advocate for wealth redistribution through his "Share Our Wealth" program; challenged FDR’s policies.

• Social Security

  • Established in 1935 as a safety net for the elderly; a major achievement of the New Deal.

• NIRA Section 7a & (NLRA) Wagner Act

  • Strengthened labor rights and unionization efforts.

• Minorities, Women, & the New Deal

  • Examined the New Deal's impact on diverse groups, often highlighting inequalities.

• Race & the New Deal

  • Discussed the racial dynamics and discrimination that persisted during New Deal programs.

• “Court Packing” Plan

  • FDR’s controversial proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court to secure favorable rulings.

Short Answer Questions

1. Causes of the Great Depression: Over-speculation in the stock market, bank failures, reduction in consumer spending, and international trade collapse.
2. New Deal Policy Initiatives: Aims included economic recovery, job creation, and social welfare; achievements include Social Security, limitations highlighted by exclusionary policies.
3. Impact of the New Deal on Various Groups: Evaluated disparities in benefits among women, minorities, and the poor.
4. America’s Response to International Developments 1930s: Generally isolationist; reluctance to intervene in global conflicts.

Possible Essay Questions

1. Federal Government Relationship (1920-1939): Analyze historically how the government’s role in welfare evolved through crises.
2. FDR’s New Deal: Radical or Conservative?: Examine the transformative aspects vs. enduring conservative policies; weigh evidence.
3. Explaining the Great Depression: Cover causes, contrasts between Hoover and FDR, and the New Deal’s evolution and legacies.
4. Assessing Significant Turning Points: Evaluate the transformative impacts of WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII on politics, economy, and society.