Category: Uncategorized

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. 

 

In Rauchway’s book, chapter 4, “Reflation and Relief,” emphasizes how President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a new deal to solve the problem of people losing their jobs. The Great Depression was a worldwide economic disintegration caused by a stock market crash in the United States that resulted in the closure of all banks. Roosevelt began by rescuing the banks. Two days after taking office, he declared the nation’s banks must stop transactions in gold, thus shutting them down, and he asked Congress to ratify his action. “(Ruchway) The Great Depression lasted ten years, from 1929 to 1939. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the one who changed the Great Depression by instituting the New Deal, which he promised would end the depression. He also set up a slew of other programs.

Many young adults lost their jobs due to the Great Depression. “Young workers, with fewer skills and experience, found themselves out of work more often than workers at the peak of their powers… if nobody did anything to help them soon, young men were most likely to leave their communities, becoming tramps or hoboes, posing a threat to social order.” (Rauchway 5) This evidence from Raucheay’s chapter shows that neither the government nor Congress is planning for this. The young adult will most likely end up homeless. As a result, President FDR established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which assists young adults between the ages of 18 to 35 in finding work. In Rauchway’s chapter, he discusses how the new deal helped the country get back on its feet, and FDR also announced a moratorium on gold transfers to create inflation in order to help the economy recover as before. 

In “Reflation and Relief” by Rauchway, talks about the New Deal enacted by Franklin Roosevelt and how it caused the growth of the American economy, decreased the percentage of unemployment, and saved Capitalism, it aided industries in increasing their output and profits. FDR announced to stop gold transitions in nation’s banks to create inflation to help the economy regain its power and he closed all banks for 4 days to inspect the accounts. 

During the Great depression, people were facing unemployment problems, so the congress established many administrations to help the government and community. As an example, the CCC,which FDR believed in to help unemployed men aged from 18 to 25 who matched some terms like being single, in a good health condition, and an American citizen to join programs to improve forests, build parks and bridges. Also, the FERA played a significant role by providing grants to the states to support established projects and works there. 

On the other hand the PWA and CWA weren’t that effective and had a weak effect on unemployment, despite spending large amounts of money (the PWA’s purse contained $3.3 billion) which made Roosevelt worried and nervous that the government spends money more than it gets and he also didn’t want Americans to depend directly on the federal government for relief programs, “Roosevelt conceded the necessity of a national work relief program, but he did not want it to “ become a habit with the country.” (Page 7). It was easier for him and for the government to just distribute money to those in need, but he believed that people shouldn’t get money that easily, they should work and receive money in the form of the result of their diligence. So, the relief programs as CCC, WPA, and FDR were aiming to fight the Depression and help unemployed Americans who were suffering, thus, to think of themselves as respectable and useful citizens 

In chapter four of Rauchway’s “Reflation and Relief” text, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made many changes during the time period of what is known as the Great Depression. In summary, “From the time of their initial implementation in 1933 to the mobilization for war production in 1940, with the sole exception of the recession of 1937–38, the American economy grew at averaged rates of around 8 to 10 percent a year. Likewise, unemployment fell dramatically from its unconscionable 1932 peak” (page 1). This sets the tone as to how much of an impact Roosevelt had on the economy as a whole. Roosevelt began with the idea of a New Deal, which sought out to fix any crises in the present and prevent any in the future; it ultimately allowed Roosevelt to offer a new start with this new deal.

However, with this New Deal also came doubt. Many believed that the banking system caused a crash. There were talks about manipulation of both money and banking, destroying the financial and economic aspects of society. Thus, this New Deal was a saving grace that brought skepticism amongst the people. Although the New Deal possessed a few negatives, it also had much more value to it. For example, with this new deal, young unemployed men were easy to detect in order to aid them. The New Deal truly represents the title of “Reflation and Relief” as it helped to bring the society out of its economic depression. It also lifted the attitudes of the people. “Americans of the 1930s knew that work relief cost more than direct relief. Simply paying money to the poor was cheaper than setting up a bureaucracy to plan projects to employ the poor. But pride and their morality led them to prefer the costlier course, which allowed desperate Americans the dignity of meaningful work” (page 7). In other words, rather than simply receiving money from the government, the people were motivated and determined to work hard and hold down a job. This is important because when comparing this to the present day, many people are so quick to receive “free money” from the government. With many people losing their jobs because of covid, the majority resorted to continuously receiving unemployment checks and benefits, even when there were new job opportunities available to them. This change of attitude over time demonstrates how much the characteristics of people and society as a whole has changed.

Rauchway’s claim in “Reflation and Relief” is that the New Deal would have succeeded if it had been the only solution for the Great Depression. The New Deal was created by Franklin D Roosevelt and included a number of government institutions such as the NRA, CCC, and etc. FDR did not believe in sending direct cash handouts, so the New Deal primarily consisted of job relief programs. This is because he did not prefer  “allowing Americans to rely directly on the federal government for assistance programs,” (Rauchway 7). FDR was a strong supporter of government programs like the CCC. Young males between the ages of 18 and 35 were supposed to be employed by the CCC. Due to their lack of work experience, young men during the Great Depression had a tough time finding work. Most firms did not employ unskilled workers, and young men were left jobless. To join the CCC all you had to be was healthy, American citizen, young(18-35), singel, and unemployed. Those who joined the program had a list of jobs and it was to “preserve the nation’s crops and forests. Floods and forest fires needed preventing and fighting; pests required eradication; roads and bridges, fences and firebreaks all wanted building,”(Rauchway 5). Unlike the other New Deal initiatives, the CCC was unfazed from criticism since it was justified in giving job experience to young men as it was deemed “worthy of the government’s resources,” (Rauchway ) .

Other New Deal programs that were criticized included the CWA and the PWA. The Public Works Administration (PWA) as an example barely made a dent in unemployment statistics even though it had a budget of $3.3 billion. The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was created to supply laborers with jobs such as fixing city halls, public roads, and docks, and it employed nearly 4 million Americans. This  made Roosevelt anxious since these programs were supposed to be temporary relief programs, but it encouraged Americans to rely on government handouts. As a result FDR disbanded the program.

Although many of the New Deal’s relief initiatives were criticized, as Rauchman points out, they did bring in several changes aimed at preventing another recession. FDR instituted significant reforms, such as the Banking Act of 1933, which gave the Federal Reserve more power to oversee banking. Roosevelt also started “rescuing banks” by stating that all “banks must stop all gold transactions, thus shutting them down,” and he asked Congress to ratify his action. On March 9, Congress compiled with the Emergency Banking Act, which affirmed Roosevelt’s actions and appointed a receiver with the power to reorganize banks if necessary,” (Rauchman 1). Banks have reorganized and begun to reopen as a result of this and his other efforts.

 

In the book “The Revolution of 1860” by James McPherson, wrote about different types of abolitionists, comparing and contrasting them for believing in the end of slavery and in freedom. John Brown is willing to sacrifice his life for slaves. Willing to fight for their freedom, putting his time to think about plans to make this work. Even though it didn’t work as he planned, there were many people on his side. Frederick Douglass was one of the people who refused to participate in this Revolution. Although, John Brown was waiting for him to join he refused thinking it was a suicidal plan “never get out alive” (205). Not wanting to help them get their freedom, excepting the law and injustices. “Is predestined, as it began in blood, so to end,”(204). John Brown was willing to spend his valuable time and money, travel to the east, gain money for this event. He tries so hard to gain supporters but ended up gaining fewer people than he needed, counting 11 white people that were part of this secret group, John Brown was selected as the new commander in chief. But after all of this, he didn’t back off on his plan. Most white people or even most abolitionists are not willing to go this far for a “mere” slave. This event also made me realize that after all of the sacrifices people did nothing hasn’t changed, still, now there are problems with colored people. The only difference there is they have a little more freedom, but still, the government as as if they care but treats them as nothing. Kill innocent people, arresting them for “feeling” they are treating them, using their powers to shut us down. It’s like history repeats itself again, but in different ways to not let the black people have their freedom.

Eric Foner’s “The Making of Radical Reconstruction” talks about the ever-expanding influence of the radical republican and reconstruction policies. Reconstruction is a period in American history from 1866-1877 after the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished. The focus of reconstruction was the reuniting of the South and North, finding compromises with citizens in the South and discussing the freed slaves status of citizenship and how it would compare to whites. In this reading Foner discusses reconstruction theory which is that white men in the south were far more concerned with salvaging as much of the past way of living, in the hopes bringing it into or recreating in the new type of civilization that the northern radical republicans. And although they never fully got everything back to the way it used to be they did everything in their power to slow it down. One of their biggest fears was the passing of the 14^th amendment which was suppose to give equal rights to all citizens and give them the ability to vote. But even after the passing of the law African-Americans were still not allowed to vote. They did not like this law because they did not hand over any power to colored people who could then make even more change. I feel like this kind of stuff stills goes on to a lesser degree in our modern day. Politicians are still finding ways to keep African-Americans at a disadvantage in a more discreet way.

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.

 

The Reconstruction era also known as the “Unfinished Revolution” had many major changes in history such as the creation of the 14th and 15th amendments and the black codes. In reading Joshua Brown “Reconstructing Representation, 1866-1877” it made me realize that it wasn’t as easy as I imagined it. Although many former slaves or immigrants were able to find  jobs due to the new laws being placed, it wasn’t enough for them to support their families. There was an economic depression in 1873 which led to many businesses hiring immigrants or former slaves because it was cheapest option for them. Leslie Illustrate Newspaper photo gives a great description on how families didn’t have enough money to feed the rest of their children and had to share their last piece of loaf wondering “where the next supply of food may come from”(Brown 133). Specifically it was demonstrated that the women did most of the work while the man just “sits idly by his cabin-door carousing with his boon companions”(Brown 132). There was also a “bitter Long Strike during the winter of 1874-75” where many miners protested to recieve a higher pay. During this Franklin Gowen the president of the Reading Railroad tried to “gain total control of eastern Pennsylvania coal mining by destroying the miners’ union”(Brown132). A lot of the people started to become chaotic because there was a lack of representation for the poor community. Even in today’s society there is a lack of representation for those who live in poverty. Although many changes have accrued throughout the years the most important issues we still continue to have is poverty and labor. It was interesting for me to see and learn about the negative side of the reconstructive era because what normally comes to my head when I think about reconstructive is how society improved due to new technology and expansion which eventually created more jobs for people. Now I see that it isn’t always the case and that every change has their pros and cons.

The reading which I found to be the most interesting was Joshua Brown, “Reconstructing Representation, 1866–1877,” from Beyond the Lines. I did some research about who John Brown was and found out he was an American abolitionist leader.Brown had the mindset that there needed to be violoience in order to end slavery because there had been years and years of peaceful efforts to end slavery but there was no outcome from them. However Dred Scott was not like brown and had a different mindset.. J.Brown led a raid on the Harpers Ferry federal armory and since he wasn’t successful John Brown was executed. Fredrick Douglas helps us understand how Brown’s plan with this raid would be unsuccessful. McPherson explained in detail why Brown’s plan didn’t work and the point that he didn’t think about.Brown explains in 2 short paragraphs and an illustration of what a family could go through in these times. Brown touches upon the struggle some families faced of not knowing where the next meal would come from.

Brown proceeds to explain what was happening with the mine strikes and Brown explains how others were  blaming the strikers for the way they were living. Brown talks about a family which had received a bread and were putting it in the oven as illustrated in the image provided in the reading. Brown allows us to see how some people much like today didn’t know where their next meal was coming from or if their families would have anything to eat the next day. I found this extremely touching because it’s something that is still happening today and something that I have experienced first hand with friends I have. It’s sad to see history repeating itself because of the lack of education. My question is if they were struggling so much why did they continue to have children? Why not keep the family small knowing they couldn’t provide for themselves?