hush roosevelt

7/30/2019 Hush Roosevelt

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Benjamin Kim

Mr. Beckwith

Honors US History

19 December 2012

Franklin D Roosevelt

The Roosevelt administration attempted to create reforms and economic stimulations in

order to resurface from the depths of the Great Depression. The extent in which these reforms

actually aided the country is debatable, as they had multifarious effects on the countrys

economy, differing through the economic classes. The effectiveness of these reforms is

discussed in the various documents and newspaper advertisements distributed in 1929 and

1941.

A primary source and major contender towards Roosevelts administration, Document B

discusses the ideology that the government is in fact trying to hinder economic growth by

implementing fruitless economic stimulation packages and enforcing policies that render a

nominal outcome in aiding the economy. Document B, a letter to Senator Robert Wagner,

discusses the fact that the Administration at Washington is accelerating its pace towards

socialism and communism, a direct confrontation to the policies in place. Document B portrays

the government as the enemy of the people, asserting that this confrontational battle over the

economy has deepened and cannot be quelled.


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A more positive note, Document E includes propaganda supporting the Social Security

program, a program that delivers monthly checks to those who qualify. This program, which

would help stimulate the economy, is portrayed in a positive light and demonstrates the

effectiveness of the Roosevelt administration. The advertisement shows the efforts that the

government is making in order to help strengthen the economy, directly displaying it support

for the social security program. This monthly check system would put out more money into the

economy, while increasing inflation. Thus, the effects of this plan are controversial and may

have adverse effects.

Document J, a graph of unemployment among nonfarm workers in the US,

demonstrates how the plans implemented by the Roosevelt administration were ineffective

until after the 1940s. Unemployment rose to 13 million in 1932, and it only significantly

decreased in 1942. Thus, the Roosevelt administrations plans were useless in the beginning,

rendering very little outcome and producing little economic growth. After a period of time,

however, unemployment decreased to one million and the depression ended. This shows how

in the long run, Roosevelts implemented plans were effective and helped bring the economy in

order.

Document K embodies the societal prejudice against the Government, or more

specifically the Legislative and Executive branches of the government. In contrast, the 1930s

society empathized more with the Judicial branch, the branch that mediates and is impartial to


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the other, influential and manipulative branches. This political cartoon exhibits the animosity

between the government and the people, which in turn shows how the people did not believe

in Roosevelts plans.

Collectively, these Documents provide evidence for the fact that Roosevelts policies did

not have immediate effects in improving the economy. Document B directly disparages the

government, labeling it as useless and counterproductive. Document E supplies a more hopeful

message: that the social security checks will help revamp the economy. Document J directly

exhibits the unemployment rates in the 1930s and how Roosevelts plans were only fully

effective after the 1940s. Document K shows the animosity between the people and the

government. Thus, from an objective perspective, all these sources suggest that Roosevelts

plans were not fully beneficial at first, and only had positive effects over a long period of time.

In the Great Depression there was little hope in Americas society. Propaganda belittled

the government as it tried to help create economic stimulation, the only way out of the

recession. As the government and its people clashed, both of them had the same motive: to

create a better lifestyle for everyone. In the end, the United States did recover from the worse

depression in its history, but only through the horrendous World War 2.