FDR: A Hero In A Time Of Despair

FDR: A Hero in a Time of Despair Imagine living everyday terrified of what is to come. It is a struggle everyday to put enough food on the table to survive. Finding a job is a task that seems almost impossible. There is no hope in the streets of the cities. Helplessness is the only feeling that can be recognized. These were the effects of the Great Depression. However, feelings changed when Franklin D. Roosevelt came into presidency and gave the people a new hope for the future. FDR was elected to serve four terms in office from the years of 1933 to 1945. In a recent poll Roosevelt has been regarded by voters in America as one of the top three presidents in the history of the United States (Koch). In his years of presidency Franklin D. Roosevelt was triumphant in his efforts to lead America out of the Great Depression by creating jobs, reestablishing the banking system, and fixing the market and economy.
Although FDR led the United States out of the Great Depression, opposers believe that he prolonged the depression and only made matters worse.
It can be argued that the job programs were pointless and only to make work for citizens. It is true that our National Debt also increased during these times. Denouncers of Roosevelt claim that he acted as a tyrant by changing the way our government system is operated. Skeptics saw FDR’s plan to reinitiate the farming industry by killing several hundred animals as gratuitous and unjustifiable. However, these statements can be supported FDR’s impact remains far more positive than
negative.
Roosevelt created numerous work programs which presented many unemployed Americans with jobs. He requested congress give him more money which would allow him to create these projects (“Great Depression: Ending”). One of these programs, the Works Progress Administration, employed more than eight million citizens in a span of only seven years. While working in these programs staffers participated in projects constructing and repairing roads, building airports, building libraries, schools, and hospitals (Danzer et al. 673). Another program called the Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, hired at least three million men in its time of order. The CCC was a program in which men aged 18-25 worked building roads, parks, planting trees, and helped out with erosion and flood management projects (Danzer et al. 667). Roosevelt also helped out farmers. He created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) which stabilized and saved farms from going belly up (“Great Depression Facts”). Roosevelt’s work programs were essential to bringing order back to the United States in the time of the Great Depression. In the absence of these work forces many citizens would have been unemployed for years prolonging the Depression and causing the economy even more strife. Franklin D. Roosevelt also reestablished the banking systems of America. He took several measures to restore the money lending companies; including the “Bank Holiday.” By 1929 nine million savings account had been eradicated. This holiday was used to investigate and seek banks that were able to withstand the market’s challenges. The banks that were able to maintain businesses were reopened immediately (Cameron). The Banking Relief act followed the “Bank Holiday.” This act helped unstable banks catch up to their competitors by loaning them money (Danzer et al. 666). Franklin also established a program called the FDIC. This ensured bank users up to $2.5 K if the systems failed once again (Cameron). Roosevelt was able to restore the nation's trust in the banking system. Banks remain as an essential piece in Americans’ everyday lives. Finally, one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s biggest legacies was rebuilding the market and economy. He put in place many optimistic programs and laws such as the NRA, The Wagner Act, and the SEC. The NRA, National Industrial Recovery Act, allowed the government to indoctrinate companies with only one sector to raise their prices and wages to install codes of fair competition. Two million businesses signed onto the NRA and a 55% boost in manufacturing occurred thereafter (Cameron). Another act the economy benefited from directly was the Wagner Act. This statute established minimum wage, allowed businesses to bargain collectively, and abolished child laboring. The SEC, also known as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commision, required corporations to give buyers entire records of all stock offerings and gave them responsibility of penalization if the stocks were represented falsely (Danzer et al. 691). Each of these programs helped advance the economy by improving the market. These laws and programs allowed citizens of the United States to begin prospering again instead of struggling to survive. In conclusion, Roosevelt can be appreciated by many for his successful efforts to rebuild the nation after such trying times as the Great Depression. The work programs he created employed millions. He also revived banks and grew America’s trust in their system. Finally, FDR secured the country's market and economy with his extensive laws and programs. His legacy will forever be cherished and relished upon, not only due to the immense impact he had on the nation but also due a monument now located in Washington D.C.. Roosevelt’s memorial sits on roughly seven and a half acres and includes an eight hundred foot wall, several waterfalls, and nine different sculptures (Raico). Franklin D. Roosevelt helped shape the U.S. Without his robust efforts to reshape and rebuild the nation citizens might still be suffering the effects of the Great Depression.