How Franklin D.

Roosevelts New Deal Legislation and Radio Broadcasts Shaped America and
Redefined the Role of Government

Kaitlyn Aiono
HIST 1700
24 April 2016

At the start of the 1930s, the United States was facing the catastrophic economic and
social effects of the Great Depression, leaving millions of Americans unemployed, living in
poverty, and without confidence in the government. Realizing that disillusioned and disappointed
American voters were anxious to improve their meager conditions, New York Governor at the
time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, founded his successful 1932 Presidential campaign on the
promise of a new deal and a new era of competence and courage for the American people.1
Immediately upon his inauguration as President of the United States on March 4, 1933, FDR
began taking bold measures to end the Great Depression. While FDRs New Deal legislation and
its experimental programs did not end the Great Depression, his efforts to strengthen the social
and economic structure of America redefined the role of government and improved the Nation by
aiding in economic recovery, reducing unemployment, and relieving poverty. A masterful
communicator, FDRs intimate relationship with the public - most notably his use of radio
broadcast - was hugely influential in increasing the loyalty and perseverance of Americans
during the Great Depression. Through this method of mass communication, FDR had the ability
to provide explanations and information, while conveying his messages and intentions to the
public.2 These regular public Fireside Chat addresses from the President uplifted spirits, and
helped to restore Americans confidence in the government and in the Nation as a whole.
Upon taking office on March 4, 1933, FDR inherited what was referred to by Secretary of the
Interior Henry L. Ickes as the greatest banking crisis in the history of the country.3 In response
1 Franklin Roosevelt, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National
Convention in Chicago, (Chicago: The American Presidency Project, 1932).
2 Lumeng (Jenny) Yu, The Great Communicator: How FDR's Radio Speeches Shaped American History,
(The History Teacher, 2005), 92.
3 Harold Ickes, The Social Implications of the Roosevelt Administration, (Survey Graphic, 1934).

to the Bank Crisis of 1933, FDRs first act as President was to declare a bank holiday, during
which time banks were closed while Congress drafted legislation that gave the President and the
Federal Reserve the ability to provide relief to banks and insure the publics deposits. Eight days
after being sworn into office, he took to the radio in the first of his infamous Fireside Chats, to
inform the American people of the details of the crisis and the steps that his administration was
taking to stabilize the banking system.4 In that same moment, FDR transported himself into the
homes of many Americans and began shaping history as he connected with the public, and
consequently redefined the roles and responsibilities of the President in caring for the well-being
of the average, working-class American. The rise in the popularity of radio alongside FDRs
simultaneous political fortune is an interesting correlation. This immediate shift in the publics
relationship with the Nations new President, as well as the increasing accessibility to fast and
regular news, provided the American people with reassurance, encouragement, and transparency,
which contributed to a sense of inclusion in government which had never before been
experienced.5
Stabilizing the banking system was FDRs first step in enacting his New Deal legislation. FDR
continued to speak to the hopes and fears of Americans in his second Fireside Chat broadcast
delivered on May 7, 1933, by reassuring them that members of both political parties, democrats
and republicans alike, were aware of the urgency necessary in resolving the severe economic and
social issues at hand, and that they were united in working together for the people, noting that the
function of Congress is to decide what has to be done and to select the appropriate agency to

4 Franklin Roosevelt, On the Bank Crisis, (Washington: New Deal Network, 1933).
5 Yu, The Great Communicator: How FDR's Radio Speeches Shaped American History, 93.

carry out its will.6 What resulted in their unity was the enactment of, what FDR referred to as, a
well-grounded plan which was focused first on combating the calamitous issue of
unemployment and providing financial aid and relief to millions of suffering Americans. The
creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps provided employment opportunities to one-quarter
of a million young men in forestry and flood prevention work.7 The wisdom in this program
was that it simultaneously enhanced the value and preservation of our countrys natural resources
and environment, while also putting to work hundreds of thousands of young, healthy, and ablebodied men who otherwise would have unlikely been able to provide for their families, and/or
contribute to the progression of the economy.8 In addition to the C.C.C., the announcement of
reviving government owned property at Muscle Shoals and improving a vast area of the
Tennessee Valley meant the creation of more opportunities for employment and the ability to
contribute to the increased comfort and happiness of society.9 In the same classification, the
Public Works Program enacted by Congress allotted over three-billion dollars to be used in the
creation and improvement of highways, dams, bridges, and railroads.10 Allowing the government
to take over the operations of public works and create self-sustaining, cost-effective, and useful
projects made available increased opportunities for employment, while the expansion and
enhancement of inland navigation throughout the country was a key factor in strengthening the
Nations internal infrastructure. As a result, FDRs Public Works Program was a necessary step in
6 Franklin Roosevelt, Outlining the New Deal Program, (Washington: New Deal Network, 1933).
7 Ibid.
8 Franklin Roosevelt, Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery, (Washington: New Deal Network,
1933).
9 Roosevelt, Outlining the New Deal Program.
10 Roosevelt, Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery.

increasing the productivity and resourcefulness of the economy, and of society as a whole. In the
creation and implementation of the Public Works Program, Henry L. Ickes argued in that the
government in 1934 was,
acting as a social agency and not merely as a tax-collector, a
policeman, or an arbitrator. People were out of work; they were cold;
they were hungry; they were rapidly losing their morale. Recognizing its
responsibility as a government of the people and for the people, the
administration lost no time in quibbling over technicalities, or worrying
about precedents. An acute problem had to be solved. A social crisis must
be met. President Roosevelt, recognizing his grave responsibility, met
this crisis.11

In his Fireside Chat delivered on April 28, 1935, FDR recognized and acknowledged that the
unemployment rate was still too high despite the improvement of business and industry across
the country in the few short years since hed taken office. He continued to explain that the Works
Relief Program, which had just been enacted by Congress, was focused on taking measures to
meet its main objective of helping the three and one-half million men and women currently
unemployed get back to work during the continued depression and hopeful recovery. However,
while committed to establishing the means to help those in the present emergency of
unemployment, FDR also recognized the necessity and possibility of remedial and preventative
measures. The first of these measures intended to make provisions to relieve, minimize, and
prevent future unemployment, resulting in the enactment of Social Security legislation. Viewed
as old-age pensions, Social Security proposed a plan to encourage the continuation of the
workforce by providing a way for those who have reached retirement age to give up their jobs to
the younger generation without fear of the inability to provide for themselves.12

11 Ickes, The Social Implications of the Roosevelt Administration.

12 Franklin Roosevelt, The Works Relief Program, (Washington: New Deal Network, 1935).

Though met with much support, Social Security legislation was not without its critics.
Abraham Epsteins publication, Social Security Under the New Deal, appeared in September
of 1935, and was highly critical of FDRs intended provision for old-age security.13 Epstein
explained that under pressure, the Social Security House committee eventually raised the
previous goal of 2.5 percent of employee and employer payroll contributions within the
following twenty years to 6 percent - a move which Epstein alleged would transfer the burden of
old-age dependency after 1942 to the backs of the young workers and exclude the well-to-do. He
asserted that a plan such as this, one that excludes government contributions from higher-income
groups, had never been put into place by any nation and that the bill violated principles of social
insurance.14 However, despite his critics, FDR held firmly to his intended commitment to see that
Social Security was a protection for the future generations of America.15
Unemployment and the need for labor werent the only problems facing the Nation which
FDR sought to combat. The Bank Crisis of 1933 left many homeowners unable to pay their
mortgages and losing possession of and title to their homes. In efforts to help those affected from
losing their homes and farms, Congress passed the Home Loan Act, the Farm Loan Act, and the
Bankruptcy Act. Realizing the importance of efficient supply and demand of agricultural crops,
FDR also enacted the Farm Bill Act, a method of bringing the production of crops to a
reasonable level and maintaining reasonable prices for goods.16 FDR saw the economic value in
organizing agriculture and distributing crops to maximize consumption. As a president for the
13 Abraham Epstein, Social Security Under the New Deal, (New York: The Nation, 1935).
14 Epstein, Social Security Under the New Deal.
15 Roosevelt, The Works Relief Program.
16 Roosevelt, Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery.

people, he continued to redefine the role of government as a social agency but introducing the
Industrial Recovery Act, which proposed cooperative action within industry and encouraged
reasonable wages and hours for workers. Calling upon employers across the Nation to practice a
better conscience, FDRs new era of social reform and his vision of a government that worked
for the people, not the other way around, was evident in his commitment to building a strong
foundation of economic and social policies which benefitted the American people and the future
generations.
Through his radio broadcasted Fireside Chats, FDR cast a new light on the Presidency of
the United States, and encouraged diligent participation, trust, and patience from the American
people. The intimate connection provoked by his seemingly inspired communication with the
public was hugely beneficial in the uniting of Americans, and in perpetuating an attitude of
optimism and fortitude during a time of enduring hardship and trial. While FDRs assertive
reassurance and successful efforts to ease the fears of Americans must be noted, it is also
important to recognize that much of what made him such a skillful communicator was his ability
to impact confidence and security while also being frank and reasonably open and honest about
the trials being faced by society. Yet more powerful than his honesty, was his commitment to the
well-being of the people of America. In Secretary of Interior Ickes address he recounts,
One of President Roosevelts first announcements was that the government would not
permit its citizens to starve. And he has kept the faith. The
government has not only
poured out its treasures to provide
food, clothing and shelter for the unemployed, it has sought in every
way possible to restore the morale of the people and to reestablish
our
social order upon a sounder and more durable foundation. 17

It was this commitment to the betterment of the American people that earned FDR great loyalty
and admiration, even despite the continued weight of the Great Depression.
17 Ickes, The Social Implications of the Roosevelt Administration.

It would be many more years before America would welcome the end of the Great
Depression, but the persistence and perseverance displayed by Americans and encouraged by the
presence of FDR in the lives of Americans is widely accepted. FDRs New Deal legislation
merged economic and social policy, and redefined government by shifting its role to a
government which takes care of its people. While FDRs New Deal legislation did not end the
Great Depression in its tracks, it notably shaped the way Americans embraced their government,
and steadfastly worked together to stay afloat during the Great Depression. FDRs impact on
American history will continue to be analyzed throughout time, but its clear that in the context
of his own time - one of the darkest periods of American history - FDR greatly influenced
forward-moving progression and immensely increased the morale of the American people by
providing them with a voice of hope, encouragement, and honesty, and introducing policies and
legislation which intended to improve the lives of Americans over the course of time.

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