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The New Deal Research Paper

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What’s the Deal?
The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt was considered a beacon of hope among the American people following years of relentless economic hardship. Roosevelt’s immense, decisive victory over Herbert Hoover signified America wanted something different. Fortunately, Roosevelt did not disappoint. In his first two years of office, Roosevelt devised a plan to shift America’s financial crisis into a positive direction; fundamentally, setting a new standard for government intervention in the economy. In particular, one of Roosevelt’s most significant economic plans would come to be known as the New Deal. The New Deal established a series of federal programs that sought to relieve the calamities brought about by the Great Depression. …show more content…

In essence, the New Deal was the embodiment of American freedom; although, it was not freedom of each and every individual, but the freedom brought on through economic security and opportunity for America as a nation, and the people who rightfully call it their home. The New Deal was entirely Roosevelt’s brainchild; and, Roosevelt persistently stressed the idea of economic freedom going hand-in-hand with economic stability (“The Contested History of American Freedom”). There were some who believed Roosevelt’s New Deal would violate the widely accepted economic principle of Laissez Faire; which, restricted American freedom. However, while the New Deal may have been a drastic shift from the free-market approach of Laissez Faire, its intent still rested in eliminating economic inequality and instability. Laissez Faire -as seen with events like the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression- was proven to be an unstable way of running the American economy (Give Me Liberty). Therefore, Roosevelt’s wishes to jumpstart America’s stagnant economy and introduce the New Deal was a revelation of the sorts. His high regard towards the American “standard of living” directly aligned with the American ideal of freedom. This was Roosevelt’s goal and the foundation of the New Deal (Give Me …show more content…

Therefore, the CCC was widely successful at stimulating both economic and environmental growth. By 1942, the CCC had already planted nearly two to three billion trees and worked to establish nearly 800 state parks. In addition, nearly twelve to fifteen million people directly benefited from CCC enrollee checks, and 3,463,766 men had been enrolled in the CCC program by the beginning of World War II (CCC History). All in all, the program had extreme support from the public. By 1934, the Corps had nearly “universal approval and praise of the country” (“Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy”). Mandatory monthly $25 allotment checks to families greatly boosted the American economy (“Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)”). The strongest opposition regarding the CCC program came from state officials. With the CCC enrollees earning $30 a month, some complained that the $25 allotment was far too high. If states were to lower the allotment, the relief costs per state would greatly increase (“Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy”). The number of individuals who complained about their living costs and monthly allotments were far too low to actually cause any sort of turmoil. And, as

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