Great Depression and the New Deal

¶ … Great Depression and the New Deal

Brinkley, Alan the Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 4th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill 2004.

FDR Question

There is almost something comical about the level of the outrage expressed by contemporary Democrats regarding the appointment of John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. While not to mitigate the importance of the Supreme Court as enforcing the law of the land, the fact that John Roberts might -- gasp -- interpret the constitution with a more strict constructionalist viewpoint than his moderate predecessor seems far less hubristic in comparison to President Roosevelt's efforts to stuff the U.S. Supreme Court with new numbers of justices. Roosevelt openly wished to increase the number of justices specified in the Constitution for the highest court of the land to make it easier for him to enforce his own legislative policies. While Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted his court-packing scheme with an honorable intent, to appoint justices who would not declare the programs he believed were necessary to save the nation unconstitutional, such an action seems almost kingly in the extreme, given the specifications in the American Constitution for the number of Supreme Court justices.

However, in the recent American history of Roosevelt's day, other aspects of the American Constitution had been altered to an extreme degree. The election of the U.S. Senate directly by the people of the states rather than by the state senates of the land, the rapid-fire institution and repeal of Prohibition, and the creation of a federal income tax were all seismic legal as well as social changes that stirred political tumult in the land. Also, many social radicals across the American nation demanded even more radical legal reforms than the numerical expansion of the Supreme Court.

Still, the idea that a president can tailor the court's numbers to suit his immediate wishes remains disturbing. One of the strengths of the Supreme Court is its fictional impermeability to the pulse of the nation -- as many justices appointed by conservative presidents, such as Justices O'Connor and Justice Brennan have shown their intellectual independence once insulated on the court. A president may desire to put his stamp upon the court, but this is impossible, given the capriciousness of human nature and the lifelong nature of a Supreme Court appointment. Regardless of the president's own desires or the so-called political pulse of the nation, or even the Senate's grilling, ultimately it is this life-long justice's ability to evolve and render reasonable legal opinions in response to the law as a lawyer, justice, and character that matters in terms of his or her qualifications. The quality of reasoning, rather than the content of the opinion of the justices is the best measure.

Questions on Chapters entitled "The Great Depression" and "The New Deal"

1.What caused the stock market crash is 1929? Do you see any way this economic catastrophe could have been avoided? Why do you think there is little historical consensus as to the exact causes?

The crash was caused by the preceding widespread speculative fever in America. For the first time, as the average price of most stock increased dramatically, the 'average' middle class consumer began to buy shares of stock in the market. Lured by the promise of easy wealth, the daily volume of stock traded on the market increased dramatically while not enough profits were put back into business in the form of real, long-term capital investments. Whether the brokers were to blame, the new consumerism, or the government for not stepping in to stem the bubble remains in debate, however, although the dangers of unregulated speculation remain etched in the American memory.

2. How do you see the concept of "rugged individualism" as an influence on the Great Depression? Justify your response.

Many individuals were unwilling to accept aid from the federal government, out of shame and in adherence to the principle that one ought to pull one self up by one's own bootstraps to succeed, and also the popular Horatio Alger notion that had fueled the previous prosperity, that merit alone determined one's ability to succeed in America.

3. How was the American family affected by the Great Depression?

The birth and marriage rate declined because of the social and economic uncertainty, but many women lost their jobs and tenuous economic and social footholds and positions of leadership and advancement, as male labor was seen as more vital to the economic health of the nation.

4.Why was President Hoover seen as such a failure in dealing with the depression? Do you agree that he did fail? Why or why not?

Although not a failure in totality, Hoover failed to fundamentally alter the existing social welfare policies of the American nation. He adhered to classical economic theory and was deaf to pleas to change these policies, even when they were obviously failing. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, Hoover failed to raise the spirits of the American workers mired in despair, unemployment and 'Hoovervilles."

5.Why did leftist radicalism enjoy growing popularity in America during the 1930s? Why was this popularity largely temporary?

The great majority of the populace felt that the current American remedies of the Hoover administration were not addressing their needs, but Roosevelt's policies struck an important balance between outright socialism and Hoover's neo-classicist economics.

6. During the 1920s what were the primary objectives of America's foreign policy?

Specifically, what was our policy toward Europe? What do you see as the weaknesses of this policy? How did the results of WWI influence this policy?

During much of the 1920s, European nations were able to make their war-debt payments to the United States, which the United States happily collected to fuel its prosperity, in return for helping to end the 'War to end all Wars.' But Germany and Austria were only able to continue reparation payments by getting even larger loans from American banks. This created resentment in these nations as it hurt Europe's losing powers, but contributed to the transient American prosperity of the 1920's.