Untitled Flashcards Set

Brain Trust – A group of academic advisors who helped Franklin D. Roosevelt develop New Deal policies.

Hundred Days – The first three months of FDR's presidency (March–June 1933), during which a flurry of New Deal legislation was passed to combat the Great Depression.

National Recovery Administration (NRA) – A New Deal agency that aimed to stimulate economic recovery by establishing industry-wide codes for fair wages, prices, and working conditions. Declared unconstitutional in 1935.

Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) – A New Deal program designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing crop production, paying farmers to leave land fallow. Declared unconstitutional in 1936.

Dust Bowl – A severe drought in the 1930s that affected the Great Plains, causing massive dust storms and forcing many farmers to migrate, particularly to California.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) – A New Deal program that provided flood control, electricity generation, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly hard-hit by the Depression.

Social Security Act (1935) – A landmark law that established pensions for retirees, unemployment insurance, and aid for the disabled and dependent children.

Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act, 1935) – A law that protected workers' rights to unionize and engage in collective bargaining, strengthening labor unions.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 1938) – A law that established minimum wage, maximum work hours, and banned child labor in certain industries.

Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) – A labor union founded in the 1930s that organized industrial workers and played a major role in labor rights advancements.

Court-Packing Plan – FDR's controversial proposal to expand the Supreme Court by adding more justices, aiming to secure favorable rulings for New Deal programs. It was rejected by Congress.

Keynesianism – An economic theory developed by John Maynard Keynes that advocates for increased government spending during economic downturns to stimulate demand and recovery.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) – The 32nd president of the U.S. (1933–1945), who led the country through the Great Depression and World War II, implementing the New Deal.

Father Charles Coughlin – A Catholic priest and radio broadcaster who initially supported the New Deal but later became a critic, promoting populist and anti-Semitic views.

Francis E. Townsend – A doctor who proposed the "Townsend Plan," advocating for a government pension system that influenced the development of Social Security.

Huey P. (Kingfish) Long – A Louisiana politician and senator who proposed the "Share Our Wealth" program, advocating heavy taxes on the rich to redistribute wealth. Assassinated in 1935.

Frances Perkins – The first female U.S. Cabinet member, serving as Secretary of Labor under FDR. She played a key role in drafting the Social Security Act and labor reforms.

Mary McLeod Bethune – An African American educator and civil rights leader who advised FDR and was a key member of the Black Cabinet, advocating for African American rights.

Robert Wagner – A U.S. senator who championed labor rights, sponsoring the Wagner Act, which established protections for labor unions and collective bargaining.