Friday, January 14th

Advanced American History

Class today is focused on providing support for the following thesis:

In the depths of the Great Depression in 1932, the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt ushered in an era of unprecedented federal activism and involvement in the economy and in doing so, changed the expectations of American citizens about the proper role of the federal government in times of economic crisis.

To do so, we began by examining Herbert Hoover's response to the economic crisis.  His response was characterized by volunteerism, trickle-down economics, and a refusal to provide direct relief for citizens.  

Finally, we began to contrast this approach with FDR's after the election of 1932.  Primary source support can be found in his first inaugural. See FDR's famous speech here:

 

American Studies

To further analyze Franklin Roosevelt's response to the economic crisis of the 1930's, we are examining one of his early "Fireside Chats".  FDR made effective use of mass media to try to build confidence in the citizenry and get the economy back on track.  In the second of these chats, Roosevelt both assesses the first few months of his presidency in working to combat the problems of the economy and addresses arguments against his actions.  Text and audio of this radio address can be found here:

May 1933 Fireside Chat