Author: Sherry Huang

The reading titled “Reflation and Relief” by Rauchway explores the importance and impact of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency. Specifically in Chapter 4 of the reading, it scrutinizes the benefits of what FDR’s presidency brought, yet it also features the downfalls that came along with it. Between 3-4 years prior to FDR’s presidency was the start of the Great Depression, an occurrence beginning in October 1929 following the crash of the stock market, later coming to an end in 1939. (History.com Editors, 2009) As supported in the reading, the Great Depression ultimately led to a downfall in the US economy: “When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took the oath of office as president for the first time on March 4, 1933, every moving part of the American economy had evidently broken. Banks, farms, factories, and trade had all failed.” The results being: a lack of employment, overproduction due to stocks and demands being unmet, housing prices facing a downward slope and more. With the concern and panic rising in society, Roosevelt taking office in 1933 took matters into his own hands. (page 1) 

While running for office, Roosevelt sparked the phrase “New Deal,” which did not guarantee any promises but the phrase was liked by a majority so he kept it as is. Overall, a method of how Roosevelt ran his presidency. “The Roosevelt agenda grew by experiment: the parts that worked, stuck, no matter their origin.” One act in association to the New Deal was the banking holiday which took place just two days after Roosevelt took office. Roosevelt requested approval for what is known as the Emergency Banking Act. He kept in mind the goal to resolve the banking failure at the time. The act resulted in closing of banks for four days to reorganize the system, some banks remained closed while others reopened in hopes of improving the economy. In addition to the banking issues at the time, Roosevelt used the Trading with the Enemy Act to further assist the bank failures by enforcing more banking laws. (page 1 & 2) One in particular method mentioned by Rauchway, “To inflate the currency, Roosevelt would have to cut the dollar loose from gold…” (page 3)

Other than resolving the banking failures during the Great Depression, Roosevelt made an attempt to resolve unemployment rates that were at an all time low. Roosevelt made it a priority to help America back on its feet, assisting men in the age range of 18-35 to find work. Roosevelt used funding towards housing to help bring back up the housing prices that were facing a downward slope. His message from assisting with Americans’ employment and fundings being that he didn’t want the Americans to rely on the government, especially if the results were that the government were giving more than they received. (page 5 & 7) 

In conclusion, Rauchway’s reading “Reflation and Relief” was a great refresher on what I’ve learned before regarding the Great Depression and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency. Overall, the reading summarized the highlights of what Roosevelt did but also included the not so successful plans he enforced. FDR ran office to help solve the issues arising and was mainly successful through it all. I mainly focused on Rauchway’s highlights of FDR’s presidency and successful plans because they were more impactful towards the economy but the ones that didn’t go as plan were still important because it showed great efforts in what FDR did for America. 

 

Eric Foner, A Short History of Reconstruction, pp. 104–123 (on Blackboard)

Throughout the Eric Foner reading A Short History of Reconstruction, it focuses on the radical reconstruction time period. A time period in the late 1800s, where black minorities and enslaved African-Americans needed the assistance of other party leaders and abolitionists to help fight for their civil rights. During this time, African-Americans were still enslaved and working overtime due to a white man governed land or “white man’s government” (105). The south did not have representation, especially since freedmen and enslaved African-Americans could not vote, since they weren’t seen as equal. However, changes were made during the Radical Reconstruction era. 

Radical Republicans played a key role in helping the minority gain their civil rights during the Radical Reconstruction era. The Radical Republicans had one main goal, rather a commitment to help slaves live a free life with the same rights granted towards white Americans as the civil war was occurring and afterwards when it was over.  This can be supported by the reading as it  states, “On the party’s left side stood the Radical Republicans, a self-conscious political generation with shared experiences, and commitments, a grass-roots constituency, a moral sensibility, and a program for Reconstruction.” (104) Foner focuses on two radical leaders throughout the reading: Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner. Foner describes both in the phrase: “differed in personality and political styles.” (105) To further explain their differences, Stevens was painted as “a master of Congressional infighting, parliamentary tactics, and blunt speaking” (105) while Sumner was painted as a dislikable character, “disliked by Senate colleagues for egotism, self-righteousness, and stubborn refusal to compromise, acted as the voice, the embodiment, of the New England conscience.” (105) 

As the reading continues, it discusses the changes that radicals managed to fight for. One major change being the 14th Amendment which granted all citizens equal protection/citizenship. The 14th Amendment is also widely known as it was one of the three amendments (including the other two: the thirteenth amendment – abolished slaves and the fifteenth amendment – the right to vote) passed during the Reconstruction period to a changed future for African-Americans. During this time, freedmen and slaves were granted the right to vote which granted the south representation. “… did the Fourteenth Amendment, the most important ever added to the Constitution, receive the approval of Congress. Its first clause prohibited the states from abridging quality before the law… Before the war, three-thirds of the slaves had been included in calculating Congressional representation.” (114) 

Overall, this reading strengthened my understanding of the Reconstruction time period. The descriptive details taught me the overall obstacles and achievements that Radical Republicans achieved/attempted like the fight for the plantation land as homesteads for former slaves, the fourteenth amendment, southern representation and more. The Reconstruction time period was a turning point for African Americans, especially with the assistance of radical leaders.

 

     In the reading from the 1619 project, America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black People Made it One written by Nikole Hannah – Jones highlights key ideas significant to American history. These key ideas being: white leaders created a nation of inequality where colored individuals were inferior and slavery was the causation(build-up) of democracy. Written in a previous blog post focused on capitalism, slaves were used for the benefits of expanding land, picking cotton and more. Colored people were exploited as slaves helped America expand and grow to become the place it is today. While slaves were used for the idea of capitalism, they were also the reason America became a democracy. As mentioned, white leaders created a nation of inequality which contradicts what the rights promised were. Jones pushes this claim in the reading by arguing that colored individuals didn’t have these rights, also being the reason more and more people fought against it over history. This was what led to democracy, a nation where the people get to decide. After slaves were freed, their rights were still limited, meaning what was promised wasn’t granted. Freed slaves weren’t allowed to vote, own property, get married and more. The fight continued through history until their rights were granted, leading to a democratic land. 

     From this reading, I grasped a better understanding of the time period of slavery and how it led to a democratic nation. I also notice not much of a change in present day America because as of recently, there has been a movement for BLM (Black Lives Matter) meaning there is still inequality upon us today. There’s also statuses to climb in America or any nation to differentiate the leaders at the top and the poor. The fact that America claimed its independence from the British due to the Declaration of Independence but still chose to maintain the rights to own slaves makes me question if the founding fathers saw a correlation to their actions with slaves. As slaves were still humans but the founding fathers allowed Americans to use them as properties, not completely alike but the British were holding America as land.