Question 1

How did the Great Depression affect African Americans differently?

Accepted Answer

African Americans suffered disproportionately during the Depression. They were often the 'last hired, first fired', with unemployment rates reaching over 50% in some cities. The New Deal offered some help, but many programmes discriminated. For example, the AAA's crop reduction policies led to the eviction of black sharecroppers, and the NRA allowed lower wages for black workers. However, FDR's administration included African American advisers (the 'Black Cabinet'), and some New Deal agencies, like the WPA, did provide jobs without explicit racial discrimination.

Question 2

What was the Dust Bowl and how did it affect people?

Accepted Answer

The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms in the 1930s, caused by drought and poor farming practices in the Great Plains (especially Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico). The storms destroyed crops, killed livestock, and caused health problems like 'dust pneumonia'. Thousands of families, known as 'Okies', migrated to California in search of work, often facing hostility and poor living conditions. The federal government responded with the Soil Conservation Service and the Resettlement Administration to help farmers.

Question 3

Why did some people oppose the New Deal?

Accepted Answer

Opposition came from both the left and right. Conservatives argued that the New Deal expanded federal power too much, increased national debt, and interfered with free enterprise. The Supreme Court struck down key programmes like the NRA and AAA as unconstitutional. On the left, figures like Huey Long (Louisiana senator) and Dr. Francis Townsend criticised the New Deal for not doing enough to redistribute wealth or provide for the elderly. Long's 'Share Our Wealth' plan proposed capping personal fortunes and guaranteeing a minimum income.

Question 4

Did the New Deal help women?

Accepted Answer

The New Deal had mixed effects on women. While it created jobs for women through agencies like the WPA (which employed teachers, nurses, and artists), many programmes were designed for men. The CCC, for example, only employed young men. Women were often paid less than men for similar work, and New Deal policies reinforced traditional gender roles by promoting the idea that men should be the primary breadwinners. However, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a strong advocate for women's rights and helped ensure some New Deal programmes included women.

Question 5

What was the 'New Deal Coalition'?

Accepted Answer

The New Deal Coalition was the political alliance that supported the Democratic Party from the 1930s to the 1960s. It included urban workers, ethnic minorities (especially Irish, Italian, and Jewish Americans), African Americans (who shifted from the Republican Party), Southern whites, and intellectuals. This coalition was built on the appeal of FDR's New Deal policies, which provided relief and reform. It made the Democrats the majority party for decades, until it fractured over civil rights and other issues in the 1960s.

Question 6

How did the New Deal change the role of the federal government?

Accepted Answer

Before the New Deal, the federal government had a limited role in the economy and social welfare. The New Deal dramatically expanded its responsibilities. It created agencies that directly employed millions (e.g., WPA, CCC), regulated the stock market (SEC), insured bank deposits (FDIC), provided old-age pensions (Social Security), and supported farmers (AAA). This established the principle that the government should intervene to protect citizens from economic hardship, a legacy that continues today with programmes like unemployment insurance and Medicare.

Bust – Americans' experiences of the Depression and New Deal

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