The infamous Helen Keller once said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.”  In During the transition between World War I and World War II in America,(Start the sentence with "In America,...") the country suffered unlike any other time in the history of the United States.  The stock market and the economy plummeted and as a result, the unemployment rate augmented.  This grim time in history is known as the Great Depression.  However, the newly elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created a plan known as the New Deal in order to overcome the disastrous situation (CITE THIS.).  The most surprising part of the Great Depression was the fact that the decade before, America was growing economically, technologically and culturally². The Jazz Age was prosperous and people were extremely optimistic about what the future would hold for their blooming nation.  Nonetheless, underneath it all was a looming downfall in America’s happiness.  Some of the major causes of the Great Depression were overproduction, under consumption, high tariffs, imbalanced distribution of wealth, the stock market crash, and useless and risky investments³.  All of these catastrophic events combined had innumerable effects such as loss of homes, a drop in the economy and a major rise in unemployment⁴.  Not long after, Roosevelt introduced the series of somewhat controversial acts and relief programs known as the New Deal in order to save America from the fatal disaster⁵.  Meanwhile, the nation was shifting culturally with the trial of the wrongly accused Scottsboro boys and the introduction of John Steinbeck’s fictitious character of the Great Depression, Tom Joad⁶.  All of these aspects of life were intertwined with the Great Depression and the New Deal.  They transformed society and brought about a new decade for the better and for the worse.  It was a time of transition that had an impact on society back then (I don't like that) and it even still affects the way Americans live today.  Because of the horrendous economic, cultural, and social situation in America during the Great Depression, Roosevelt’s New Deal changes greatly transformed Americans but only successfully impacted some areas of society.                      

            The Jazz Age, or the Roaring Twenties, was an indispensible time in America’s history because it essentially was the time that created a pathway that led to the Great Depression.  It was the time after World War I and with that came a cultural and social phenomenon.  New technology was diffusing throughout the states, with the invention of the car, traffic light, and novice medicines⁷.  This lured many people to the cities, including many African Americans, which caused an urbanization boom⁸.  Politics were also changing with the decreasing number of progressives and the challenges faced by many conservatives.  More importantly, however, the arts, music, dance and immigration of the time greatly affected the Jazz Age.  Books such as The Great Gatsby and Mein Kampf were published and became popular throughout the world⁹.  Immigration took to new heights with the rising economy and the hope and promise of the American Dream.  However, many immigrants suffered socially because they faced racial and religious prejudices.  In 1924, Congress placed restrictions on the number of immigrants allowed in America, and Asians were banned entirely¹⁰.  Immigration also added to the vast separation between the social classes, because many immigrants added to the lower classes.  This was an eventual cause of the Great Depression.  The new jazz movement also added to the culture of the time with artists such as Louis Armstrong, and dancing followed, with new steps like the Charleston¹¹.  With all changes, there are everlasting effects that impact people in various ways.  Society transformed in the 1920’s and some of the changes led to the Great Depression.  The time that was thought of as perfect turned out to be the foundation of one of the worst times in America history.                 

            Because of the complexity of the Great Depression, there were many causes of the downfall of America in the twentieth century.  The most stunning part of the time before the collapse was that people were not expecting anything along the lines of a Depression.  Only months before, President Herbert Hoover even said, “We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land.  The poorhouse is vanishing from among us¹².”  However, there are a few main reasons as to why these dreams did not live on in America.  The first cause of the Great Depression was overproduction and under consumption¹³.  Products were being produced at astonishing rates but consumers weren’t purchasing as much as was being sold.  In turn, the money that was being lost forced many businesses and factories to fire their employees.  This created a cycle that forced more people out of jobs while businesses and industries struggled to make money themselves¹⁴.  Another cause of this devastation was high tariffs because the United States maintained high taxes on imported goods.  However, they expected to export goods and receive foreign loans, which ended up unsuccessful.  The distribution of wealth was also a cause because of the extremely wealthy upper class and the lower class that lived in poverty.  For example, Paul Gusmorino states “According to a study done by the Brookings Institute, in 1929 the top 0.1% of Americans had a combined income equal to the bottom 42%¹⁵.”  This also created an unhealthy imbalance in the economy.  The Stock Market Crash of 1929 was also a major benefactor in the Great Depression.  Once people feared that they would lose money, they withdrew what they had in their stocks all at once, and even then, people still ended up in debt¹⁶.  After the First World War, Americans that fought in the war wanted to make large investments and borrowings, which slightly wounded the economy.  Many people also borrowed money that they could not pay back, because of the lack of regulations forbidding it.  All of these reasons forced the inevitable Depression, which later prompted a response from Roosevelt known as the New Deal.  

            In November of 1929, Herbert Hoover said, "Any lack of confidence in the economic future or the basic strength of business in the United States is foolish¹⁷."  Hoover stayed optimistic throughout the beginning stages of the Depression and he thought the economy would correct itself¹⁸.  But his optimism was outdone when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated in March of 1933¹⁹.  In his speech he let the country know that he was aware of the problem, but was confident that he could repair the situation.  “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. . . I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days²⁰.”  He realized that action needed to be taken in order to fix the problem, and in the First Hundred Days after his inauguration, he proved his speech to be true.  The First Hundred Days were a turning point for the nation.  Roosevelt began his speedy journey that took the motto “Action, and Action Now²¹.”  According to Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, “In less that four months the economy was stabilized, homes and farms were saved from foreclosure, and massive relief and work programs addressed the dire needs of the people. Most important, the First 100 Days restored hope and, in the process, preserved democratic government in the United States²².”  During that time, Roosevelt created the New Deal as a way to fix and possibly eliminate the Great Depression.  The main difference between Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt’s response to the situation was simple.  Herbert Hoover remained falsely cheerful and hoped that everything would turn out better.  Roosevelt acknowledged the problem and stayed optimistic but took the initiative to make a difference and make a change with programs such as the ones in the New Deal.                           There are few programs that rival the significance to American lives as did the New Deal when Roosevelt took the job as President during the Depression.  The New Deal was a series of bills and acts that were created in order to assist the nation in its economic crisis and provide relief programs²³.  It was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt’s progressive Square Deal from the early 1900’s.  The major differences between the two Deals were that the Square Deal focused on businesses and monopolies, wildlife preservation and foreign policies while the New Deal focused more on the middle class and relief programs for the unemployed²⁴.  The New Deal also contained laws to reform the crashing bank system, farming programs, and employment systems²⁵.  President Roosevelt and the Federal Government were in charge of these programs because the state and local governments could not fix the problems pervaded society.  Unlike previous years, the government also became concerned with the security of the individual²⁶.  According to John Simkin, some of the agencies created included “The Works Projects Administration (WPA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the National Youth Administration (NYA), Farm Security Administration (FSA), the National Recovery Administration (NRA) and the Public Works Administration (PWA) ²⁷.”  The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was also created in order to help those in extreme need.  Nonetheless, the New Deal affected many different types of people in many different aspects of life.               

            The New Deal that president Franklin D. Roosevelt created contained a few aspects that affected America socially and economically.  The New Deal started out conservative with few radical measures²⁸.  He provided relief for only the people that were incapable of living without support from the government.  This is when the Federal Government overtook the state and local powers and started to show the people that they cared.  This measure not only supported Americans, but it showed them that the government cared about them, which in turn, gave them a sense of dignity²⁹.  Mr. Roosevelt’s second response was somewhat different.  With this, he tried to permanently eliminate the fears and worries of Americans.  He did this by creating a series of reforms, some of which are still around today.  Minimum wages were created for those with jobs, and social security was even created in August of 1935 with passing of the Social Security Act³⁰.  This act enabled Americans to gain pensions with old age and gain state and national assistance with unemployment³¹.  Acts were also created in order to give wages to men injured while injured on the job, and to give wages to the unemployed³².  The New Deal also assisted the middle class with The Federal Deposit Insurance Company, the Federal Housing Administration, the Federal Arts and others³³.  Welfare was also created under Roosevelt, and due to its success, it is still in use today.  Unfortunately, these did not help the unemployed because companies could not afford to pay their employees.  Franklin Roosevelt not only wanted to heal the wounds of the Great Depression, but he wanted to create a just and equal society for Americans³⁴.  But more importantly, he instilled hope in Americans³⁵.  His valiant effort to end the Great Depression through these acts proved that he cared about his country.  And Americans all over the country embraced his hope even during one of the worst times in American history.

            America was shaped by the New Deal not only socially and economically, but politically, as well.  One of the changes from before the Depression was that the laissez faire era of government had ended.  Because of the need for the government to interfere with businesses to reboot the economy, they needed to take over the industry and agriculture³⁶.  Also, despite the declining Progressivism in the Jazz Age, the New Deal proved to be angled toward progressive movement.  It was technically an extension of the progressivism because Roosevelt wanted to create a bridge between capitalism and democracy³⁷.  His ideas of a strong national government were also progressive, along with his ideas that relief programs should have economic and moral purposes³⁸.  The New Deal also affected the White House and how people viewed the federal government.  With the New Deal reforms, the job of the president and the national government shifted to greater heights because of the relief programs that were created by Roosevelt instead of local and state governments³⁹.  In addition, people generally respected Franklin Roosevelt because they saw him as a symbol of “greatness, courage and compassion⁴⁰”.  The Great Depression also allowed for the Democratic Party to gain power because of the policies and bills of the New Deal.  This built a “power base” for the Democrats, because Roosevelt was re-elected four times.  With this power, Roosevelt took the opportunity to distribute it to the people, since they were the ones in need⁴¹.  The New Deal also brought about change with capitalism because the banking system was rejuvenated, and private businesses began to thrive⁴².  More importantly, however, wealth was distributed throughout the social classes in order to create stability.  The political power also shifted and was shared between the businesses, farmers, and trade unions⁴³.  The New Deal brought about changes unlike any other, through the political system in the United States. 

            Despite the positive contributions that were added to society in order to eliminate the Great Depression, Roosevelt was highly criticized because of the controversial New Deal and the tribulations involved with it.  Franklin Roosevelt himself faced criticism mainly for his lack of economic experience⁴⁴.  He did not have a strong background in economy and it not only hurt his career, but it negatively affected the New Deal, as well.  He was also known for humiliating his opponents and taking their ideas⁴⁵.  Some also viewed him as an activist president who attacked the financial and industrial leaders.  For example, SparkNotes states “The rich felt that Roosevelt was a traitor to his class, reacting to his leftist rhetoric rather than to his actual deeds in office⁴⁶.”  Some leaders opposed him because he was thought of as a dictator.  The New Deal was also criticized by leaders because they felt it was a plan only for the present, but there was no arrangement for the future⁴⁷.  Certain extreme groups disagreed with the New Deal; for example, “Among the anti-New Dealers, Senator Huey Long of Louisiana was the most notorious. Beginning in early 1934, he used his abilities on the stump to spread support for his ‘Share Our Wealth’ program, in which each American family would get $5,000 at the expense of the rich⁴⁸.”  Others opposed the New Deal because they felt it protected the trusts as opposed to the actual people of the United States⁴⁹.  However, it is criticized today because it did not completely heal the wounds of the Great Depression.  The New Deal was unable to solve the problem of unemployment because it could not create enough consumption in the business industry⁵⁰.  The middle class received assistance, but many were left unaided.  Only the Second World War halted this economic nightmare because it stimulated the need for jobs and workers.  Without the war, the country would have struggled to fix the Great Depression for even longer.                The stories of the Scottsboro boys and Tom Joad involve diverse characters and situations yet they are both still tragic.  The account of the nine Scottsboro boys began on March 25, 1931 when nine African American boys riding on a train were accused of raping two white women before the train stopped in Alabama⁵¹.  These boys were accused by Victoria Price and Ruby Bates and were found guilty by the judge.  The sentences were death and life imprisonment for the wrongly accused boys.  Due to controversy, the trials continued for years with the help of the attorney Samuel Leibowitz⁵².  Even after Price admitted to lying about being raped, some of the boys still faced charges.  The second story involves Tom Joad, a fabricated character from The Grapes of Wrath by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck in 1939⁵³.  In the novel, Tom Joad is released from prison and takes his family away in order to live a better life.  He overcomes his struggles while possessing strength even in the darkest of times⁵⁴.  At the beginning of the book, he lives by the rule to “live in the moment” and seize the day, because of his imprisonment.  He undergoes a character transformation as he learns to make a difference in the world to stand up for life’s injustices and better the world for the future⁵⁵.  These stories, even though they are both real and fictitious, they both show the injustice system during the Great Depression.  They also prove how some Americans responded to fear by making crazy and sometimes unintelligent decisions.  People were fearful about a few things including their destiny in the troubled times, the outcome of the Great Depression, just like the Scottsboro boys and Tom Joad.  If the Scottsboro boys and Joad would have heard Roosevelt’s speech at his inauguration, they could have responded in a few different ways.  Based on their personalities, it seems like they would have embraced the speech, like many Americans at the time.  They probably would have accepted the speech, but left room for disappointment because of the apprehension and fear that they had been through.        

            America suffered through an unbearable Depression in the twentieth century, and the New Deal was created by Franklin Roosevelt in order to help overcome it.  The struggle against unemployment and poverty led to some of the most drastic changes in America economically, socially, culturally and politically.  The thriving Jazz Age with its technology, music and dance preceded the Great Depression in more than one way.  However, some of America’s prosperity turned out to be misled because it of the many different causes of the Depression.  While some lived in poverty, others were millionaires.  While too many products were being created in factories and businesses, not enough were being sold to keep employees hired.  The massive unemployment state and the horrific economic state prompted action from Franklin Roosevelt.  He responded with the New Deal and its public reforms and relief programs created for the unemployed and the middle class.  It affected many aspects of American life, even politically.  However, Roosevelt and the New Deal faced criticism from opposition, particularly because it did not completely solve the problem of unemployment.  Tom Joad and the Scottsboro boys were important in society because they were characters of the Depression.  These changes in society from the New Deal transformed the lives of Americans in many ways, some for the better and others for the worse.  They embraced the hope of Roosevelt and adapted well to the circumstances of the Great Depression and the New Deal.  Roosevelt took the opportunity to take a stand and make a change in the lives of Americans.  With his reforms, he barely saved the American Dream, because it is something that Americans still strive for today.  The legacy of the New Deal still lives on in contemporary America because of the reforms that are still around today.  Social Security, Welfare, Minimum Wage and even the local public pool in El Segundo are products of the New Deal.  Roosevelt seized the opportunity for change and took the worst of situations and fought for a better America.

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but this essay is in Chicago 1, not Chicago 2, which it is supposed to be in. -Amy Kohler 12/7/09 7:53 PM 

Reference List

Action and Action Now: FDR’s First Hundred Days. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/100home.html.

 “The Jazz Age and Louis Armstrong (The 1920's)” Roaring Twenties, 2000, 22 July 2008, <http://library.thinkquest.org/C005846/categories/artliter/artslit.htm>

T.H. Watkins, “Under Hoover, the Shame and Misery Deepened”, The Great Depression: America in the 1930’s, 1993, 53-75

 “President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1933-1945”, The Learning Page. . ., 2 Feb 2004, 20 July 2008, http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/depwwii/newdeal/newdeal.html

 “The Grapes of Wrath”, SparkNotes Literature, 2006, 22 July 2008, http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/grapesofwrath/

 “The Jazz Age: The American 1920’s”, Digital History, 23 July 2008, 19 July 2008, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/subtitles.cfm?TitleID=67

Maria Brown, “The New Deal”, Lecture 6, 20 July 2008: 1-16

Paul A. Gusmorino III, "Main Causes of the Great Depression," Gusmorino World, 13 May 1996, 20 July 2008, http://www.gusmorino.com/pag3/greatdepression/index.html.

 “The Crash of 1929”, American Experience, PBS, 20 July 2008, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/crash/index.html.

 “Riding the Rails”, American Experience, PBS, 10 July 2008, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/index.html

19. “The Presidents: Franklin Delano Roosevelt”, American Experience, PBS, 22 July 2008, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/32_f_roosevelt/index.html

21. “Action and Action Now: FDR’s First Hundred Days”, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, 4 March 2008, 20 July 2008, http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/100home.html

23. John Simkin, “Franklin Roosevelt”, Spartacus Educational, September 1997, 22 July 2008, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USArooseveltF.htm

24. “Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal”, SparkNotes SAT Subject Test: U.S. History, 2006, 21 July 2008, http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/sat2/history/chapter14section2.rhtml

25. “President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1933-1945”, The Learning Page. . ., 2 Feb 2004, 20 July 2008, http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/depwwii/newdeal/newdeal.html

26. Carl N. Degler, “The Third American Revolution”, Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America, 1970

38. Andrea Meibos, “Unit 5 - Progressivism and the New Deal” School Work, 8 November 1997, 22 July 2008, http://qirien.icecavern.net/punkus/school/ahtg5.htm.

46. “Franklin D. Roosevelt: The New Deal Continues”, SparkNotes History, 2006, 20 July 2008, < http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/fdr/section9.rhtml>

49. Santos, “The New Deal Was a Failure”, The Learning Page. . ., 2 Feb 2004, 20 July 2008, http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/depwwii/newdeal/failure.html

51. “Scottsboro: An American Tragedy”, American Experience, PBS, 18 July 2008, <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/>