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'State Of The Union Message To Congress'

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The Great Depression was a moment of economic turmoil, plagued by an unemployment rate that was at an all-time high, bank failures, and foreclosures. People of all races and backgrounds were struggling to make ends-meat throughout America. A major component needed for a successful market economy—confidence- had been shattered by the events of 1929. The happenings of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s revealed the flaws in the way the government was functioning at the time while influencing the actions and ideals of politicians, specifically Franklin Roosevelt . The statements made by Roosevelt’s through his 1944, “State of the Union Message to Congress”, are examples of the new, modern brand of liberalism that gained widespread public support …show more content…

Roosevelt’s speech reflected the ideal that life should not just be about surviving it should be about thriving. “In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race, or creed. (1944 “State of the Union Message to Congress”). In his speech Roosevelt argues that the nation was founded under the principle that everyone is entitled to certain civil rights—those civil rights were outlined by the bill of rights. Franklin Roosevelt believed that, “that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.” (1944 “State of the Union Message to Congress”). For example having freedom of speech meaningless and useless if a person was struggling to …show more content…

At the beginning of the1900s these inequalities were remedied, somewhat by government action. Legislature to protect workers from unfair labor practices and to regulate private industries were enacted. Unfortunately World War I interrupted the attempts for progressive reform. The hyper-patriotism induced by the war was manipulated by employers for their own benefit, and enabled them to undo many of the progressive gains of the time. The events that had occurred late in the 1910s—mainly World War I- paved the way for the1920s, an era of a supposed return to “normalcy”. During this decade the flaws underlying in the laissez faire philosophy were exposed by the crash of 1929 and by escalation of economic recession to an economic depression. Lack of government intervention and regulation of the private sectors of the economy were the key causes of what has come to be known as the worst economic depression in

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