"The Second New Deal"

The Second New Deal Programs were launched in reaction to political opposition to Roosevelt's New Deal from Congress, the Supreme Court, various political factions and criticism from the public. The original New Deal failed to end the Great Depression. Throughout the decade of the 1930s, unemployment continuously remained high, meanwhile the economic growth persisted excruciatingly slow. Recovery did not occur until Roosevelt's third term, when the heavy demands of mobilization for World War II finally restored the country to nearly full employment.

The Second New Deal Programs focused on social reform together with policies to speed up the nation's recovery from the Great Depression. Another crucial important legislation passed during this time is the Social Security Act which provided air benefits for the elderly and the unemployed. Additionally, the Wagner Act also known as the National Labor Relations Act gave organized labor rights to bargain collectively with businesses and forced employers to allow unionization of their employees. Another momentous act was the Works Progress Administration Passed in April 1935, the WPA put unemployed people to work in public works projects across the country. WPA contained a much wider variety of programs than earlier agencies such as theatrical productions and writing projects, as well as the construction of schools, playgrounds, and other public facilities. the Fair Labor Standards Act which abolished child labor and the Rural Electrification Administration. The Second New Deal is programmed to encompass Roosevelt’s strategies of Relief, Recovery and Reform to combat the problems and effects of the Great Depression.