FDR and the New Deal

1. What plans did Roosevelt make in the four months while he waited to take office?        
In the four months while Roosevelt waited to take office he did a few things. One of which was creating work programs, and as the reading says "through one of these programs, the civil works administration (CWA), Oettinger went back to work in 1933" as well as "programs like the CWA raised the hopes of the American people and sparked great enthusiasm for the new president" Also during the waiting period her "worked with his ream of carefully picked advisors-- a select group of professors, lawyers, and journalists that came to be known as the "Brain Trust." Roosevelt began to formulate a set of policies for his new administration. This program designed to alleviate the problems of the great depression became known as the new deal"
2. How successful were FDR's fireside chats?       
FDR's fireside chats were "radio talks about issues of public concern, explaining in clear, simple language his New Deal measures. These informal talks made Americans feel as if the president were talking directly to them." From one of these fireside chats, FDR spoke about the issue of everyone taking out their savings from banks at the same time and how it would cause banks to fall. From this people were returning their savings in the weeks that followed. Obviously this proved that that at least one of his fireside talks was successful. 
3. How did New Deal programs affect various regions of the United States?       
The new deal programs affected various regions of the united states starting with the rural regions. 
The AAA was put into place to raise crop prices by lowering production and the government from there would pay farmers to have a certain amount of land unseeded. There was also the TVA which was focused on the Tennessee River Valley. In addition there was the CCC which put young men to work by building roads parks, etc. The NIRA provided jobs to states to create jobs in construction of schools and other community buildings. 
4. How did liberal and conservative critics differ in their opposition to the New Deal?            
  Liberal critics "argued that the new deal did not go far enough to help the poor and the reform the nation's economic system" Conservative critics "argued that Roosevelt spent too much on direct relief and used new deal policies to control business and socialize the economy" Conservative critics were especially angry with the AAA and NIRA because it gave the government too much control over agriculture and economy. 

5. Do you think Roosevelt was wrong to try to "pack" the Supreme Court with those in favor of the New Deal? Explain your answer.      

Roosevelt had a good reason for trying to pack the court with those in favor of the new deal, but that does not in anyway make it just. Roosevelt didn't want any other court decisions to "dismantle the new deal" But either way, he couldn't fill the court with those in favor of the new deal because they would obviously be biased in their decisions. That would be like having a murderer on trial and the jury being only his family members who didn't want him to have to be found guilty. It's just not a fair way of doing things. 
6. Of the New Deal programs discussed in this section, which do you consider the most important?

Explain your choice. Think About:
• the type of assistance offered by each program
• the scope of each program
• the impact of each program       
I personally think that the assistance offered by each program is most important because the impact of each program wasn't huge and the scope of each program wasn't huge either because each program was set out to help the nation basically as a whole, although each one affected different regions. I do think it is important that certain regions were helped more than others because some regions were in an even greater depression compared to others. I think the very most important was the assistance offered by each program because different people needed different things. For instance, if a farmer was having financial trouble, he wouldn't want to be put to work in construction because he is a farmer, so the AAA was helpful to a farmer, but not some others. Having each program offer something different gave a wide variety to the help people could receive. 

Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

1. What were some of Hoover's key convictions about government?        
Hoover believed strongly in the government of the United States, that if there was some type of problem then the government should step in to help. As the reading states, "Like many Americans of the time, Hoover believed that one of government's chief functions was to foster cooperation between competing groups and interests in society.If business and labor were in a conflict, for example, government should step in and help them find a solution that served their mutual interests" Therefore if there was to be some issue with poverty, he believed the government should step in. He did believe that the government's role was to help, but not to control. 
2. What did President Herbert Hoover say and do in response to the Great Depression?       
In response to the great depression, Hoover didn't give "hand outs". As the reading says, "They should take care of the,selves and their families, rather than depend on the government to bail them out. Thus, Hoover opposed any form of federal welfare, or direct relief to the needy" However he did "call together key leaders in the fields of business, banking, and labor. He urged them to work together to find solutions to the nation's economic woes and to act in ways that would not make a bad situation worse" He did things like ask business owners not to cut wages or lay off workers, and laborers to not demand higher prices and go on strike.He also "appealed to Congress to pass a series of measures to reform banking, provide mortgage relief and funnel more federal money into business investment" which was a change considering Hoover's general ideas.
3. Why do you think people blamed Hoover for the nation's difficulties?       
I think people blamed Hoover for the nation's difficulties because he wasn't leading the country when they were in trouble, which is what a president is supposed to do in a time of need. he was only "helping out" and not controlling, but to be frank, the position of president is a controlling position and he shouldn't have become president if he only wanted to help out the country. He also believed that social welfare shouldn't exist because people should be able to know how to make it on their own. Well, that's a super idea Hoover. People needed help so they asked for it, but Hoover was of none.

4. How did Hoover's belief in "rugged individualism" shape his policies during the Great Depression.

Think About:

• what his belief implies about his view of people

• how that translates into the role of government

• Hoover’s policies (How effective were they?)       
Hoover believed (as i already stated) that hand outs are not acceptable, He believed people should "succeed through their own efforts" Although this view did prove that Hoover had faith in the people of his country and did believe they could take care of themselves without assistance. This translates badly into his role in government however. Since Hoover had this belief about the people. he didn't take on a very good leadership role in helping the people, because he didn't think the people actually needed his help. His policies, although inspiring on some level, weren't very effective, people were blaming him left and right for the nation's difficulties.
5. What did the Bonus Army want and how did Hoover respond?      
The bonus army wanted to have the Patman Bill passed again because it was under debate and it would give permission to the government to pay out a bonus to WWI veterans that had not been adequately compensated for their service to the country. In response Hoover said " the Bonus Marchers were 'Communists and persons with criminal records' rather than veterans" he opposed the legislation. Fearing that the group would become violent, he had people gassed, including a baby, two were shot and some injured as well.

6. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt heard about the attack on the Bonus Army, why was he so certain that he would defeat Hoover?

Think About:

• the American public’s impression of Hoover (See your answer to No. 3)

• Hoover’s actions to alleviate the Great Depression (see your answer to No. 4)

• how people judged Hoover after the attack.       
Roosevelt was so certain to defeat Hoover because Hoover was just an awful president. No one liked Hoover, because he wouldn't help them in their time of need, which is what a president is supposed to do. He couldn't man up and be a president when he needed to be, he couldn't lead and he couldn't control the country, only help. What do you think a role in government is for? Hoover also got over 1000 killed that had fought for the country, because they wanted to be paid for their service. Not only was he a bad president, but just a bad person. 

Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

As you read about how people coped with hard times, use the headings below to summarize the Great Depression’s effects on various aspects of American life.

Employment
The Great Depression had a huge effect on employment during the time. The unemployment rate grew greatly, higher then it had ever been during this time, especially for African American's who were already the lowest paid employees and were no suffering from job loss even more so then the white Americans. Most men were accustomed to providing for their families, so when they lost their jobs, they would go out and look for a new one and try to get hired again because they felt they needed to fill their role as a provider for their family. 

Housing
As the reading says "During the Great Depression, as many as 300,000 transients-- or "hoboes" as they were called-- wandered the country hitching rides on railroad box cars and sleeping under bridges" many people were losing their houses because they could no longer pay for them so they were forced to live on the streets during this time. Some even slept in sewer pipes.

Farming
As the reading says "Between 1929 and 1932, about 400,000 farms were lost through foreclosure" There was however an advantage to farming, families could raise their own food and everyone could pretty much eat, but with debt and raising prices during the time, many farmers soon lost their land and could no longer provide for themselves and their families. 


Race relations
The Great Depression hit everyone hard, but the hardest hit were the African Americans. These employees already had the lowest pay and then they started struggling with unemployment as well. According to the reading, the unemployment rate of the African Americans was over 50 percent but the overall unemployment rate was somewhere around 25 percent. In addition to this they had to deal with racial violence and were constantly competing with white Americans for jobs. 

Family life
Although the Great Depression was a struggle placed on families, families were a very positive thing to have during this time. People believed in strong unity of their families during hardship, and instead of being sad, they would spend time together entertaining themselves with board games and listening to the radio even though times were tough. It was important for them to stay strong together. 


Physical health
obviously the physical health of most people decreased during the Great depression. People were starving because they couldn't afford a decent amount of food, for one thing. Another being that people were facing foreclosure and were forced to live on the streets, and this is not a good condition for living and optimum health. to add on to that, some people would sleep in sewer pipes and wrap themselves in newspapers, which is unsanitary. lastly, people often had to give up going to the doctor's or the dentist because they couldn't afford to. 

Emotional health
To start, a lot of people were demoralized to the point where they didn't want to try and survive any longer. During this time the suicide rate rose more then 30 percent and three times as many people were being admitted into mental hospitals compared to the norm. Also, young adults would have to give up their dreams of going to college which is crushing as well as people putting off getting married and having children because they couldn't afford to.  

Explain or define each of the following:

 Dust bowl
The region hit hardest by the Great Depression including parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. 

Shantytown
Little towns consisting of shacks 

Direct Relief

Cash payments or food provided by the government to the poor (did not exist during the great depression)

Causes of the Great Depression

1. What industrial weakness signaled a declining economy in the 1920s?    
The industrial weakness that signaled a declining economy in the 1920's was the superficial prosperity. As the reading states "The superficial prosperity of the late 1920's shrouded weaknesses that would signal the onset of the great depression"
2. What did the experience of farmers and consumers at this time suggest about the health of the economy?    
The experience of farmers and consumers at this time suggests that everyone during the time was going into greater and greater debt. Considering at one time, the farmers were doing well in their business, but after the war demand fell and they lowered their prices. This only forced them into more debt because with lower prices they were farming more products and in order to farm more products you need equipment and you have to take out loans to get equipment. Demand for crops still weren't good. As the reading says "Many lost their farms when banks foreclosed and seized the property as payment for the debt" This suggests that the economy was digging itself a deeper hole and everything was just going badly during this time.
3. How did speculation and margin buying cause stock prices to rise?    
Speculation and margin buying caused stock prices to rise because people were using the little money they had to invest it in stocks and margin buying encouraged this because someone could pay "a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowing the rest" made people want to invest what they had on the off chance of gaining a profit from it. This was not discouraged and the unruly buying and selling made the stock prices rise.
4. What happened to ordinary workers during the Great Depression?    
During the great depression, ordinary workers were losing there jobs, millions and millions of people were being laid off. As the reading says "unemployment leaped from 3 percent" up to 25 percent during The Great Depression.
5. How did the Great Depression affect the world economy?    
The Great Depression affected the world economy because in Europe and Germany, they were paying off their debts from the war, Germany paying for damages they had caused and Europe "trying to recover from the ravages of World War I" This made trading and importing European goods difficult as well as selling American products and manufacturing goods abroad.
Define: 
a. Price-Supports: The government would buy surplus crops and sell them on the world market for guaranteed prices.  
b. Credit:  An arrangement in which costumers agreed to buy products now and pay later for their purchases.
c. Dow Jones Industrial Average: The most widely used barometer of the stock market's health                     d. Speculation:   buying stocks and bonds on the chance of a quick profit
e. Buying on Margin:    paying a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowing the rest
f. Black Tuesday:    October 29, when the bottom of the market and the nation's confidence fell out
g. Hawley-Smoot Tariff: An act that established the highest protective tariff in united states's history   

Schenck v US (Free Speech)

1. What was Justice Holmes’ main argument  in the Court’s opinion in Schenck? Do you agree with the Court’s opinion?   

Justice Holmes's main argument in the court's opinion in Schneck was that the words printed in the leaflets were not protected under the freedom of speech during wartime. I very much disagree with this opinion because, although wartime and the draft were a time where nationalism should've been increasing, of course there's going to be people who do not conform to something that is forcing people to risk their lives. it's understood that everyone should be supportive of something the government puts into play, but just because someone has a different opinion then those in the government shouldn't mean they get in trouble for it, and of course this should be protected under the first amendment, 

2. Do you think some limits on the freedom of speech are necessary? Explain. (Use your own opinion and support it using information from the reading.)     
Of course there should be some limits on freedom of speech, but at the same time, certain limits are not to be put into place. For example, because students wore black bands during the Vietnam war, to protest it, that is in no way a fair reason to be suspended, that's not putting anyone in danger, it's simply having the freedom of speech. With this being said, limitations on the first amendment should be placed if it is putting a person or group of people in danger. If someone was hang=ding out leaflets that said, "kill the president" then this would obviously be something that shouldn't be protected by the first amendment, but if something is just getting one's point across and they're expressing themselves then it should not have limitation placed on it.
3. List three examples of the "historical impact" of the Schenck decision. 

You can burn the American flag- This was decided in an 1989 court case, Texas vs. Johnson, many were outraged at this possibly because it was so controversial, and because of this simply being a some type of hate crime against America. 
readmission of students ho had been suspended- In 1969 in the case of tinker vs des moines decided that students who had been suspended from their school because of wearing and anti war band that they must be readmitted.
People jailed for supporting communism- in the 1950's people ere being jailed for supporting communism, a controversial issue, such as this, would reach the supreme court, just as many cases now a days. The first amendment is still being used some 200 years later in court.

Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

1. What made the Filipino insurrection "far different than any conflict in which Americans had previously fought"?
The Filipino insurrection was "far different than any conflict in which Americans had previously fought" for many reasons. As the reading states, "Rather then confronting an organized army, as they had in Cuba, U.S soldiers faced a quick striking guerrilla movement. The rules of war that generally prevailed in battles involving western nations were largely ignored" So basically, our soldiers were suddenly using a completely different tactic then they were used to, so this easily could have been difficult to adapt to, never mind attempt to fight by.
2. Why were African-Americans among the strongest critics of the war against the Filipino nationalists?
African-Americans are among the strongest critics of the war against the Filipino nationalists because the Filipino nationalists recognized them as different then the White-Americans just as their own country did.The African-Americans wanted to be looked at as equals to the whites, so when "Filipino nationalists openly played on the racial divisions within the U.S. army" it made the African-American soldiers be reminded of how badly they were discriminated against by their own country.
3. Why did the United States lose its appetite for imperialism in the early 1900s?
The United States lost it's appetite for imperialism in the early 1900's for a lot of reasons. One of these reasons could simply be, Mark Twain. Mark Twain was a very popular writer in the early 1900's, he was pretty much, anti-imperialist. His works of literature could have swayed the views of some readers. More importantly, there were many complications when it came to creating an empire. People didn't know what rights the Filipinos had as being part of the United States, and other such complications. Even Roosevelt who originally was all for the empire said "the people of the United States were not prepared to accept the burdens of an empire" so the United States abandoned the idea of taking on this "burden"
4. How did the United States contribute to the development of Cuba and Puerto Rico?
The United States contributed to the development of Cuba and Puerto Rico by doing many different things. First of all, American technology was advancing, "and administrative expertise contributed to rapid development on the islands" For example, roads and telephone lines were built, which obviously helped with the development of these islands. In addition, in 1912 the United States granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. U.S. citizenship granted them numerous rights which could easily help development. Also in 1917, the U.S. made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory, which is advantageous because they would have the protection of our military and country, which can help them grow as a territory without fear of other countries.
5. why did many Cubans come to resent the U.S. presence on their island?
Many Cubans came to resent the U.S. presence on their island for a few reasons. The first reason being that "When Cuba's national assembly issued a call for immediate independence in1900, the McKinley administration sought to slow the momentum of Cuban nationalism" Another reason for their resentment is because Cuba could only have independence with a whole bunch of limitations, which wouldn't technically make them independent...Some of these limitations included overseeing Cuban economy and veto power over foreign policy.
6. Do you believe the United States was imperialist? why or why not?
I do believe the United States was imperialist. We may have said that we were giving up on the empire because of all of the complications and some other reasons, but we were still very much imperialist. When we took control over Purto Rico and Cuba, well that's just it, we were making an empire. Not only that but we were trying to control them and still had many complications which is the reason why we didn't want an empire in the first place !  Lastly, when we said we were giving independence to Cuba, for example, we weren't actually letting them be their own country, we still had many limitation on them and weren't letting them really be free.

The Spanish-American War

1. How was the United States connected to Cuba in the 1890s?
The United States was connected to Cuba in the 1890's for multiple reasons. To start off, the United States has always been interested in taking Cuba in as part of the United States, to become a major slave territory; President Polk even tried to buy Cuba from Spain in 1848. But more recently, the United States is connected to Cuba in the 1890's because the United States removed the tariffs off of Cuban Sugar. As the reading says, " The United States was also by far the largest consumer of Cuban Sugar. In 1890, the United states removed tariffs on Cuban sugar, entering the American market, making it less expensive to buy the sugar in the united states. The legislation boosted the fortunes of both the overall Cuban economy and American investors on the island"
2. What were the main reasons the United States intervened in Cuba? (i.e. went to war) Which reason do you believe was most important? Explain your answer. 
The main reasons the United States intervened in Cuba were that Cuba was revolting, this was posing a major threat to the Cuban economy because of so many orders for farmers, sugar growers, etc. were being ordered to not sell most of their products. "By 1898, Gomez had brought the Cuban economy to a standstill" Another reason why the United States intervened in Cuba is because the Spanish ambassador to the United States had accidentally gotten a letter published that was meant for only his friend. In the letter, it called the President of the United States at the time, McKinley, "weak" Lastly, there was the explosion of the "Maine" ship vessel that had been anchored in Havana harbor. The ship "was ripped apart by a tremendous explosion on the night of February 15" Eventually it was proven that this ship had been sunken by an underwater mine, but at the time, they believed it was the Spanish. The reason that I find most important is calling President McKinley weak. This is an insult to not only the president, but to the nation as a whole. If you insult the leader of something, you insult the followers as well. This easily could have made the United States actually feel weak if they decided to think the same as the Spanish, that their president was weak. This is easily the most important reason for the United States to intervene. 
3. Why were many African-Americans eager to serve in the Spanish-American War?
So many African-Americans were eager to serve in the Spanish-American War because they simply wanted to try to show White-Americans that they were equal to them. According to the reading, "Many black leaders saw the war as an opportunity to elevate the status of blacks in the United States. They hoped the black participation in the fighting would win the African-American community new respect, and chip away the wall of discrimination" This is a very good quote to answer this question because it simply gives the exact answer to why African-Americans were so eager to serve in the Spanish- American war. 
4. How did racial attitudes at the turn of the century shape American peceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines?
Racial attitudes at the turn of the century helped shaped American perceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, by there already being ideas of what the citizens of these islands were like. As the reading states, "in line with the racial stereotypes of the day, most American leaders had little hope for the blacks and Asians who lived in Cuba, Puerto rico, the Philippines, and Guam could be a force of progress. At the same time, the Spanish were thought of as backward and cruel." Because of the accusations made before even knowing of these people of these different islands, America thought that these people were not capable of having their own democracies, but were also in fear of  having them as apart of the United States because they may have been a threat to the political system in America. 
5. Why did Emilio Aguinaldo feel that the United States supported his campaign for Filipino independence? 
Emilio Aguinaldo felt that the United States supported his campaign for Filipino independence because he pretty much planned to run a democracy. The United States was going to liberate the Philippines, but Emilio said that he was " the head of the temporary revolutionary government, and he planned to hold elections." Elections generally go along with the idea of democracy and that's what the United States was and still is run by politically. Also, seeing as the United States was planning on liberating the Philippines, Emilio being there as a leader would give the United States some peace at mind because there would be someone who is at least some what in charge in the Philippines, after they are no longer United States property. 
6. Why do you think the Spanish-American War was called "a splendid little war" by an American diplomat at the time? Do you think we could have a "splendid little war" today? Explain your answer.
The Spanish-American war was called "a splendid little war" by an American diplomat at the time because it wasn't a really "bad" war. The war was rather short, in comparison to some other wars of our past and wars going on today, so the war being short, could make it "splendid" perhaps. Also, the United States weren't exactly forced into war. We weren't bombed or anything bad enough to make us go directly to war, but there were some reason as to why we did go to war. In addition, the United States pretty much got what they wanted. For example, when they liberated the Philippines, they had someone who was running to be a leader, so the Philippines would be free from the United States, but would also have some sense of authority. Overall, this was wasn't awful compared to many others and therefore could've been called "a splendid little war" Today, i don't think we could have "a splendid little war" because today we try to avoid war as much as possible, so we wouldn't go into war unless "forced to" unlike the Spanish-American war. Also, if the reason we went into war was pretty big, then the ending of the war would most likely not end anytime soon, meaning it couldn't be little or splendid.