Alphabet Agencies of the New Deal

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Alphabet Agencies

• Alphabet agencies were established during the New Deal era.
• Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) hired unemployed men for natural conservation work.
• Public Works Administration (PWA) provided construction workers with jobs on public buildings like highways and bridges.
• Works Progress Administration (WPA) created jobs for those in need, constructing bridges, roads, and buildings.
• Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) paid farmers to reduce crop sizes, increasing crop values.
• National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) developed business regulations, with compliant businesses displaying a blue eagle symbol.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures customer deposits in case of bank failures.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) constructed dams on the Tennessee River for navigation, flood control, and cheap electricity.
• The FBI prosecutes criminals who evade state law by crossing state lines.
• FDIC and TVA still exist today.
• NIRA and AAA were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Hoover's Agencies

• Federal Farm Board aimed to stabilize agricultural prices.
• President’s Emergency Committee for Unemployment (PECE) addressed unemployment issues.
• President’s Organization for Unemployment Relief (POUR) sought to provide aid to the unemployed.
• National Credit Corporation (NCC) worked to support struggling banks.

Amendments and Acts

• 21st Amendment repealed prohibition.
• Social Security Act of 1935 provided retirement payments, unemployment insurance, and aid for mothers, children, and the handicapped.
• Volstead Act enforced prohibition, defining drinks with less than 1% alcohol as legal.
• National Origins Act set quotas to limit immigration.
• Emergency Banking Act closed insolvent banks and reorganized those that could survive.
• Rural Electrification Administration loaned money to extend electricity to rural areas.
• Emergency Relief and Construction Act, approved by Hoover, led to the creation of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

Lindbergh Kidnapping

• Charles Lindbergh, Jr., son of the aviator, was kidnapped in 1932 which gained widespread publicity.
• The child's body was found two months later.

Pacts and Tariffs

• Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement that outlawed war, but lacked enforcement mechanisms.
• Fordney-McCumber Tariff imposed high tariffs which created trade barriers for Europeans.
• Washington Naval Conference limited naval power growth and battleship construction.
• Dawes Plan reduced German reparation payments and lowered interest rates on Allied payments.
• Wickersham Commission under Hoover aimed for relaxed law enforcement on prohibition.
• Smoot-Hawley Tariff raised tariff rates to an all-time high.

Harding's Scandals

• Teapot Dome scandal involved leasing navy oil reserves to friends.
• There was defrauding of Veteran's Bureau amounting to $200 million.
• Attorney General Harry Daugherty faced bribery accusations.

Events of the Era

• Red Scare was a period of fear regarding communists.
• Spanish Flu pandemic killed over 50 million people worldwide in 1918.
• KKK resurfaced, targeting immigrants, African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and other minorities.
• Harlem Renaissance was a period of artistic and cultural activity among African Americans.
• Flappers were young women who defied social norms with short skirts, bobbed hair, and a rebellious lifestyle.
• Dust Bowl occurred due to drought and poor farming practices causing dust storms, particularly in Oklahoma.

People of the Era

• Huey Long advocated "Share Our Wealth" plan, taxing the rich to aid the poor and was later assassinated.
• Jesse Owens was a black runner who defeated Germans at the Olympics.
• Amelia Earhart was the first female pilot to fly solo over the Atlantic and disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean.
• Calvin Coolidge, Harding's VP, became president and was known for being against the Red Scare.
• Hoover is often blamed for the stock market crash and supported the Smoot-Hawley Tariff.
• Harding was the first Republican president in the 1920s and had a scandalous administration.
• Francis Townsend believed people aged 65+ should receive $200.
• Sigmund Freud believed that self-restraint leads to emotional disorders.
• Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity.
• Scopes argued against specific religious teachings in public schools.
• Charles A. Lindbergh was the first person to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean.
• John L. Lewis led the United Mine Workers and organized the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Great Depression

• The Great Depression had cumulative consequences following World War I and economic problems in European powers.
• The Federal Reserve's monetary policies contributed to the depression.
• The Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930 restricted foreign trade.
• The Great Depression consisted of four consecutive depressions.
• The job market was dismal, with an 11.9% unemployment rate.
• Farming was no longer profitable, leading to farmer debt.
• There was a surplus of food due to lack of demand in the market.
• The U.S. gave money to Britain, so Britain could pay Germany, so Germany could pay the US.

The New Deal

• Relief programs provided temporary help to unemployed Americans such as the CCC and WPA.
• Recovery programs aimed to aid the economy, such as the AAA and NIRA.
• Reform programs sought to prevent future crises and implemented the FDIC and SEC.

Hoover’s Philosophy

• Hoover challenged the laissez-faire system and advocated government involvement.
• He focused on reviving confidence
• He wanted private individuals to help struggling people through voluntarism.

1936 Election

• Republicans nominated Alfred Landon, while Democrats nominated FDR.
• FDR won by a landslide, despite Literary Digest’s false prediction.

FDR's First 100 Days

• Congress passed FDR’s New Deal legislation in an emergency session.
• FDR relied on a "brain trust" of advisors on legislative and economic matters.
• Congress approved the Emergency Banking Act.
• FDR took the nation off the gold standard.
• FDR used "fireside chats" on the radio to communicate with the nation.

During the New Deal era, numerous alphabet agencies were established to address the Great Depression. These agencies aimed to provide jobs, stimulate the economy, and regulate various sectors. Programs like the CCC, PWA, and WPA offered employment opportunities in conservation and construction.