Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the thirty-second president in 1933, at a time when the United States of America was in a terrible depression. He said, “There is a duty on the part of government to do something about this.” In the first three months of his Presidency, FDR gathered a group of advisers known as the “Brain Trust” to help him. The group included professors, lawyers, and experts on the economy. They helped him put together many types of programs in the first “hundred days” that he was in office. FDR sought to maintain the nation’s finances, lighten the suffering of unemployed workers, revive business and restore industry to help get the United States out of the Great Depression. (Maupin) Franklin Delano Roosevelt believed that
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) enabled the federal government to build dams to control flooding along the Tennessee River. The TVA was created with the hope of modernizing and organizing natural resources and energy in parts of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia. It produced inexpensive hydroelectric power for the people in those areas. Workers planted forests and built dams in the seven states and improved navigation. (History.com, Caplan, la exhibitions)
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) tried to raise prices by regulating the production of basic crops such as wheat, dairy, tobacco and corn by giving cash payments to farmers. It paid farmers who voluntarily cutback and left their fields vacant to end agricultural excess. This system limited the amount of each crop grown so there would be a demand for the crops and farmers could sell them at higher prices. The AAA also gave loans to farmers facing bankruptcy. Farm income increased by more than fifty percent. (Britannica, History.com, Hardman,
The prices of agricultural goods increased. This gave farmers a sense of economic stability. Farmers could use loans to buy land, equipment, livestock or seeds. The Farm Security Administration gave healthcare, education and training to help farm families become independent. (Hardman, la exhibitions)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt sought to restore industry. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) insured workers would have the right to form unions and bargain as a group for higher salaries and better working conditions. Companies had to right industry codes that fixed wages and prices. This was a form of industry self-regulation. It was meant to encourage stable growth and prevent another depression. NIRA created the National Recovery Administration. (NRA). It kept prices of goods in check by having the government in control salaries and workings conditions. (History.com, Buchholz, Caplan,