The New Deal and the CCC

New Deal Overview

• President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal aimed to use government programs to aid national recovery from the Depression.
• The New Deal had 3 central objectives: to provide relief, foster recovery, and implement reform measures to prevent future economic crises.
• Federal money was distributed to state governments to assist struggling citizens.
• Roosevelt and his advisors formulated a suite of programs to lift America out of the Great Depression.
• Key New Deal programs included the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), Rural Electrification Administration (REA), and the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

• The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided jobs for single men aged 18-25, paying them $30 monthly, with $25 sent home to their families.
• Workers lived in military-style camps and signed up for projects until their end.
• The CCC focused on preserving America's natural resources by building roads, planting forests, and working on irrigation and national park projects.
• CCC projects in Georgia involved planting trees in the Chattahoochee National Forest and working on the Appalachian Trail.
• Historic battlefields were preserved, and state parks were built.
• More than 3 million young men worked for the CCC by 1941, including 78,000 Georgians.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

• Overproduction of farms was the main reason farmers could not get out of debt.
• The Agricultural Adjustment Act, passed in 1933, paid farmers to reduce production of certain crops to raise farm prices.
• Georgia's farmers were encouraged to diversify beyond cotton, planting peanuts, corn, tobacco, and other crops.
• Thanks to restricted supplies and higher prices, the act proved fairly successful in helping farmers profit.
• By 1950, Georgia led the country in peanut and poultry production, with the state's peach farming industry making a comeback.
• Poor tenant farmers and sharecroppers, many of whom were African American, were negatively impacted since they needed to grow crops to earn a living.
• Government subsidy money was often kept by farm landowners instead of being distributed appropriately.

Rural Electrification Administration (REA)

• The Rural Electrification Administration was set up in 1935, and Congress passed it into law in 1936.
• Roughly 97% of Georgia's farms lacked electricity, which was very expensive.
• Low-interest loans were offered to companies to build power lines in rural areas, extending electricity to farms.
• Most of Georgia's farms had power within 15 years.

Social Security Administration

• President Roosevelt introduced Social Security as part of the New Deal, with Congress passing the Social Security Act in 1935.
• This law provided retirement pay at age 65 and other government benefits for workers.
• Insurance was available for disabled, unemployed, and elderly people through contributions by employees and employers.

Conclusion of the New Deal

• The New Deal helped millions survive the Great Depression, even if it did not fully restore the country.
• The Depression was truly over by 1942, following America's entry into World War II.

Eugene Talmadge

• Eugene Talmadge, a powerful Georgia politician, opposed many New Deal programs despite being a Democrat.
• Talmadge served 3 terms and was elected to 4 as governor: in 1932, 1934, 1940, and 1946 and was Georgia governor from 1933-1937 and from 1941-1943.
• Talmadge appealed to Georgia's rural population and fought for the interests of poor farmers.
• Talmadge opposed civil rights for African Americans, supported segregation in schools, and was known to fire those who opposed him.
• Talmadge believed the federal government should not interfere in state matters.
• He was against New Deal programs that helped Black and White people equally.
• Talmadge's opposition limited the New Deal's impact in Georgia until after he left office in early 1937.
• Social Security was a desired program which led to the election of pro-New Deal governor Eurith Rivers.

Explore President Roosevelt's New Deal and its objectives to provide relief, foster recovery, and implement reform measures during the Great Depression. Learn about key programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided jobs for young men and focused on preserving America's natural resources.