new deals Flashcards
what was the basis of Roosevelts ‘new deal’
his ‘new deal’ would see Roosevelt use federal government power and spending to help revive the economy
what were the alphabet agencies
new federal government agencies set up to implement Roosevelts policies
what was the Tennesse Valley Authority (TVA)
- ran through some of the poorest states in the south
- 1935 Roosevelts set up the TVA to build dams in the valley that would control flooding and generate electricity
why was the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) set up
- Great depression shook America
- in 1933 farm foreclosure rate was double what it was 2 years earlier
what was the goal of the AAA
relieving the existing national economic emergency by increasing agricultural purchasing power
How did the AAA seek to solve the crisis in US agriculture
- via a tax on agricultural processors, the federal gov would make ‘marketing agreements’ with farmers, paying them subsides to reduce their production and so rising prices
- AAA identified seven basic commodities to focus on
How did the AAA affect black americans
- AAA money was used by many planters to buy machinery that replaced black farm workers
- landowners evicted sharecroppers/tenants as a consequence of receiving money if they removed land from production
- when landowners needed additional labour they persuaded local relief administrators to remove blacks from welfare rolls (created a labour surplus and workers to accept very low wages)
- federal compensation for the evicted sharecroppers/tenants was distributed by the landowners who failed to pass it onto to those who it was intended for
How did the TVA affect black americans
- blacks were employed in unskilled work
- introduction of cheaper electric rates meant nothing as landlords didn’t find it to their advantage to wire their black tenants homes
- housing accommodations for blacks were inferior to those of whites
- victims of mis-classification, doing skilled work while receiving pay as unskilled workers
how many black sharecroppers were evicted 1933-1940 due to the AAA
200,000
what was the PWA and how did it help black Americans
- created to build useful projects such as roads, schools e.g
- constructed 49 low rent housing projects which blacks made up about 1/3 of the occupants
- 14 projects were built exclusively for black Americans with above-standard housing (including gas, electric appliances and indoor plumbing)
- continued by its successor
- employed hundreds of thousands of workers
what was the WPA and how did it help black Americans
- put black people back to work
- provided them with a basic and predictable income
- employed AA in white-collared jobs and skilled positions
- many were trained for the first time in skilled jobs (5,000 black teachers and supervisors employed in the WPA education program)
- AA employed to stage plays and dramatic productions
what was the goal of the TVA
- improve the lives of millions of Americans in seven states in the Tennessee River Valley
- hoped it would stimulate economic development and reduce poverty by establishing a massive program of rural electrification at reduced rates
- african Americans compromised 11% of 2million residents of the region and the project promised ‘nondiscrimination’
what was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
- created in 1933 by the emergency conservation work act
- young men were to be given work experience in camps run by the army under the direction of the department of interior
- they worked on conservation projects
how was the CCC meant to benefit black Americans
- 10% of places in the CCC were reserved for African Americans
- the CCC camps were initially integrated as it stated in the act that created the CCC that there should be no racial discrimination
when were the integrated camps disbanded and why
the integrated camps were disbanded in 1935 at the order of the CCC chief who ordered complete segregation
