Hiroshima Case

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is one of the most well-known presidents in American history. Roosevelt brought the nation through one of its most difficult periods; a time of war and mass poverty. Some American's remember Roosevelt for bringing the United States out of The Great Depression while others believe the massive extension of presidential power under his administration along with many of his policies were destructive to the nation. No matter what a person's opinion of Roosevelt his policies are still carried on today and his influence on American politics will not soon fade.

The First New Deal began immediately after Roosevelt gained the presidency. FDR gave Congress numerous pieces of legislation that became known as the "First Hundred Days" from March to June 1933 in which the new President passed a number of bills designed to end the nation's economic troubles. The First New Deal was created to stabilize the economic system and provide relief and jobs to those in desperate need. He wanted to achieve these goals by having partnerships between business and government to try and save industrial production. In the process of this plan, FDR began to recreate the role of the federal government in American economic and political life. In a letter to Congressman Wagner the writer states, "It seems very apparent to me that the Administration at Washington is accelerating its pace towards socialism and communism" (Doc. B). The writer is saying that the government is gaining more power and in doing so they are becoming more controlling of American's lives. On March 6, Roosevelt declared a national "bank holiday" to stop people from withdrawing their money from failing banks.

To meet the immediate problem of starvation and the dire needs of the nations unemployed, FDR established several relief programs in 1933. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) made direct cash distributions available to states for immediate payments to the unemployed. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) put 300,000 men to work in 1,200 camps planting trees, building bridges, and cleaning beaches. Finally, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) spent almost $1 billion on public works projects, including airports and roads. These programs were paid by the tax payers

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