As we discussed in class and witnessed in documentary segments, Roosevelt's presidency was centered around the three R's: Relief, Recovery, and Reform. These three concepts were apparent in his New Deal plan, but one of these was emphasized most–relief.
Many of the measures enacted by the government at this time were aimed at relieving the American people's struggles of the Great Depression, mainly with problems with food, money, and jobs. One of the major measures that Roosevelt enacted was the formation of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (or the AAA). This organization made the government able to aid the American people with their struggles with food and finances. During the Great Depression, people grappled with poverty and insufficient resources and money, making it very hard to get by. With the AAA, the government was able to buy cows from people, butcher them, and give the people cans of the meat for food, giving them both sustenance and money. Another organization that helped people was the Works Progress Administration (or the WPA). This organization was formed in order to give people jobs in public works that help the country, such as jobs on roads and public buildings, for the unemployment rates of the Great Depression were very high. Both these measures were enacted to relieve the American people from the stresses of the time. These measures, along with many others of the New Deal, all took part in emphasizing the Relief "R" of Roosevelt's administration.
This is a very good post. You have made a convincing argument that Relief was the most important aspect of the New Deals, with examples like the WPA and the AAA. After doing some research, I found that there were other institutions that Roosevelt created under the New Deal Plan, such as the Civil Works Administration and the civilian Conservation Corps. Overall, it seems like Roosevelt did put a lot of effort into helping the common citizens of America.
ReplyDeleteThis post was really interesting. I really liked how you focused on Relief being the most important out of the three R's and then you went into some specific programs/policies and went into depth on them. One question though--why was it that the AAA didn't work the first time it was passed?
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