Opposition to the 'New Deal'

Question 1

what did the supreme court do in 1935?

Answer 1

The Supreme Court took its stance from a legal viewpoint and in 1935 it effectively declared the National Recovery Administration (NRA) illegal.

Question 2

what did the supreme court do in 1936?

Answer 2

In the following year it declared the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) unconstitutional thus killing off the AAA

Question 3

What point did the supreme court make about the New Deal, and why it opposed it?

Answer 3

The point made by the Supreme Court was that any efforts made to help farmers etc. should come at a state level and not federal level and that these parts of the New Deal went against the powers given to the states by the Constitution.

Question 4

How many of the 16 Alphabet Laws decreed unconstitutional in cases heard by the Supreme Court?

Answer 4

11/eleven

Question 5

What did the supreme court argue Roosevelt had done to the state government through the new deal?

Answer 5

The argument of the Supreme Court was that Roosevelt had tried to impose the power of the federal government on state governments - and this was unconstitutional

Question 6

Who was Huey Long?

Answer 6

a Senator from Louisiana

Question 7

What was Huey Longs criticism of Roosevelt?

Answer 7

He criticised Roosevelt for not doing enough for the poor

Question 8

Name Huey Longs alternative to the new deal:

Answer 8

His alternative to the New Deal was called “Share Our Wealth

Question 9

Where was Huey Long on the political scale?

Answer 9

By the standards of the time, Long was politically left of centre and his unpopularity was such that he had to surround himself with a gang of ‘heavies’ to protect him – and to deal with any hecklers he might come across at public meetings.

Question 10

What did Huey Long state he would do with personal fortune?

Answer 10

Long promised to confiscate any personal fortune over $3 million

Question 11

What else did Huey long promise he would do with personal fortune, with regard to American families?

Answer 11

he would use this money to give each family in America between $4000 to $5000 so that they could buy a home and a car

Question 12

Name 4 other things that Huey Long promised he would do:

Answer 12

Long also promised a

1) national minimum wage
2) old age pensions
3) cheap food for the poor.
4) Long also promised to make all education free in America.

Question 13

What was Huey Long known as in Louisiana?

Answer 13

‘Kingfish’

Question 14

How was Louisiana operated under Huey Long?

Answer 14

Within Louisiana, Long essentially ran the state. Opponents were suitably dealt with; local elections were fixed and the police were bribed

Question 15

What year did Huey Long die?

Answer 15

1935

Question 16

How did Huey Long die?

Answer 16

he was killed, ironically by one of his bodyguards who shot a man who was planning to kill Long. A bullet fired at the would-be assassin by one of the bodyguards, missed its target, ricocheted off of a corridor wall and hit Long in the stomach

Question 17

what was the name of another one of Roosevelt’s opponents who’s occupation was a catholic priest?

Answer 17

Charles Coughlin

Question 18

What Union did Fr Charles Coughlin set up?

Answer 18

He set up the National Union for Justice

Question 19

What did Charles Coughlin state Roosevelt was?

Answer 19

Anti-God

Question 20

What was Charles Coughlin’s primary aim?

Answer 20

Coughlin wanted the less well off to be paid what he described as a “fair wage”. He teamed up with Frances Townsend who also opposed the New Deal

Question 21

(Charles Coughlin teamed up with Frances Townsend) What did Frances Townsend want to happen?

Answer 21

Townsend wanted the federal government to give all citizens aged 60 and above $200 a month to be financed by a 2% sales tax

Question 22

Both Coughlin and Townsend allied themselves with Gerald Smith (Huey Long’s successor)…what did the 3 of them plan to do?

Answer 22

the three of them planned in 1936 to tap the voting strength of the less well off in America.

Question 23

What did the 1936 General Election show?

Answer 23

The 1936 election result showed that a substantial number of people voted against Roosevelt.

Question 24

In November 1936, how many votes did FDR receive compared to his Republican opponent Alf Landon?

Answer 24

FDR got 27 million votes while his Republican opponent, Alf Landon, got 16 million votes

Question 25

What percentage of the total number of votes did Landon’s support represent?

Answer 25

Landon’s support represented 37% of the total number of voters

Question 26

What did the 1936 election show with regard to the New Deal?

Answer 26

16 million voters clearly were not convinced by the New Deal. This election obviously took place after the “100 Days” of what the first New Deal. That over 1/3rd of voters voted against Roosevelt gives some indication that not all of America was behind him.

Question 27

After his landslide victory in the 1936 election, what did FDR state?

Answer 27

“Everybody is against me except the voter.” which brushed aside the fact that 16 million voters were obviously not convinced by the New Deal.

Question 28

On ‘Black Monday’ May 27th 1935, the supreme court struck down a basic part of Roosevelt’s program of recovery and reform. What was the case was called?

Answer 28

The sick chickens case.

Question 29

In ‘The Sick chickens Case’ what did the supreme state with regard to FDR?, effectively striking down a basic part of his reform and relief programme.

Answer 29

The supreme court deemed that congress had delegated excessive authority to the president and had improperly involved the federal government in regulating interstate commerce.

Question 30

In response to the Supreme courts attacks, what was FDR’s plan behind the ‘Court packing scheme’?

Answer 30

The plan was to reorganise the supreme court. FDR sought to make his opponents on the supreme court resign, so that he could replace them with justices more sympathetic to his policies.

Question 31

What did the ‘Court Packing Scheme’ do?

Answer 31

1) the scheme proposed to add one new member to the supreme court for every judge who had reached the age of 70 without retiring (6 judges were over the age of 70)

Question 32

With regard to the ‘Court packing scheme’ what did FDR also propose on the side?

Answer 32

FDR outlined a generous new pension program for retiring federal judges

Question 33

Was the court packing scheme a political success or political disaster?

Answer 33

The court packing scheme was a political disaster. Conservatives and liberals alike denounced FDR for attacking the separation of powers.

Question 34

What did Critics accuse FDR of trying to become, in the wake of the ‘new deal’?

Answer 34

Critics accused FDR of trying to become a dictator

Question 35

Which program was the only one left of the plan to gain congressional approval?

Answer 35

The Pension Program

Question 36

What happened once the ‘The Pension Program’ had been passed?

Answer 36

Justice Willis Van Devanter (the most obstinate New Deal opponent on the supreme court) resigned. Few legacies of FDR’s leadership proved more important.

Question 37

In December 1936, 6 months after the AAA had been denounced, what else did the supreme court declare invalid?

Answer 37

The New York state minimum wage law

Question 38

After the AAA and New York state minimum wage law had been declared invalid, what did FDR fear the supreme court had established?

Answer 38

FDR feared that the court had established a “no-mans land” where no government, state or federal could function

Question 39

Through the New deal what else did the conservatives accuse FDR of doing?

Answer 39

the conservatives said that FDR had spent too much of government money

Question 40

What did the wealthy businessmen behind the American Liberty League argue about FDR?

Answer 40

The wealthy businessmen behind the American Liberty League argued that by increasing taxation and encouraging the development of the trade union movement, Roosevelt had betrayed his own class (Roosevelt was from a very wealthy family).