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The Success of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal

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Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” package of legislation set a new precedent for United States involvement in cultural development. The New Deal was characterized by liberal use of government resources to provide relief, recovery, and reform to a nation that had been reeling from the aftermath of the Great Depression. While the immediate success of Roosevelt’s New Deal in mitigating the effects of the Great Depression is debatable, it’s long lasting impact on American government is still felt today. One of the earliest major programs of the New Deal was the Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC. The FDIC initially insured bank deposits up to $5,000 and was integral in restoring Americans’ confidence in U.S. banks. As a result, people slowly resumed depositing their money in banks, which in turn helped banks get back to business. Another early New Deal program was the Unemployment Relief Act, which created the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC). Throughout the program’s history, the CCC put approximately three million unemployed young men to work on conservation projects around the country. These projects consisted of building bridges, constructing dams for flood control and generating energy, and planting 200 million trees to act as wind barriers in areas afflicted by the Dust Bowl. While these two early New Deal programs offered relief from banking concerns and rising unemployment, Roosevelt’s administration was

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