New Deal Opposition Forces

1. New Deal Opposition Forces By: David Aristizabal, Susanna Crestetto, and Sarah Woodlief

2. Opposing the New Deal • Though Roosevelt was having enormous success for the New Deal, by 1934 the New Deal was encountering opposition from both ends of the political spectrum • Due to increased taxes on the upper class, many upper class citizens felt that Roosevelt was betraying his own people • Democratic Conservatives were a big opponent of the New Deal –The New Deal supported Labor Unions and this became the main target for conservatives • Also faced much opposition from the Supreme Court - claimed that Roosevelt tried to impose the power of the federal government on the state government and this was unconstitutional • Most prominent threat was Louisiana Senator Huey Long who claimed that Roosevelt was not doing enough

3. Huey Long • Most famous opponent to the New Deal • Criticized Roosevelt for not doing enough for the poor (In 1934, half of American families lived in poverty) • Believed that the economic collapse was the result of the vast difference in wealth between the very wealthy and everyone else • Thought that the concentration of money among the wealthy was not available to average citizens who were already suffering debt and the effects of the economy • Had an alternative to the New Deal called “Share our Wealth” -A program designed to provide a decent standard of living to all Americans -Wanted to distribute the Nations wealth to all People -Said it was morally wrong for the government to allow millions of Americans to suffer in poverty when there was a great amount of food in shelter in the Nation

4. Huey Long Promised to: • Confiscate any personal fortune over $3 million and distribute the money to American families to buy a home and car • Establish a national minimum wage and old age pensions • Offer cheap food for the poor • Make all education free in America

5. Charles Coughlin • Canadian Catholic Priest who later became a U.S. Citizen • Supported Roosevelt and helped Roosevelt throughout the election though his radio talk show • Realized that Roosevelt was only using Coughlin for help during election • Coughlin felt betrayed and began to use his radio show to criticize Roosevelt for being “anti-God” • Set up the National Union for Justice – Called for monetary reforms, nationalization of major industries and railroads and the protection of the rights of labor • Later he used his radio program to support Adolf Hitler and issue anti-Semitic commentary

6. Second New Deal • Despite President Roosevelt and his cabinets best efforts, the Great Depression continued and the nations economy stayed in a slump • Unemployment was persistent and people were becoming angrier and more desperate • Spring of 1935 Roosevelt tried a more aggressive approach and launched a new series of federal programs • Known as the Second New Deal • Includes programs to benefit the poor, the old, farmers and labor unions • Focused on 3 major goals : improved use of natural resources, security for old age, unemployment and illness, and a national welfare program to replace state relief efforts

7. Second New Deal • Included many important programs such as: Works Progressive Administration (WPA), Social Security Act, and the National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) • The WPA created jobs for unemployed people • The projects of the WPA could not compete with private industry – instead focused on building things such as schools, highways and parks • National Labor Relations Act created the National Labor Relations Board which supervised elections of Labor Unions and prevented businesses from treating their workers unfairly • The Social Security Act of 1935 guaranteed pensions for millions of Americans, set up unemployment insurance and welfare programs for dependent children and the disabled

8. Court Packing Scheme • Roosevelt wanted to obtain favorable rulings of New Deal legislation that had previously ruled unconstitutional • Roosevelt proposed - The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937 - a legislative initiative to add more justices to the United States Supreme Court • The Central and most controversial provision of the bill would have granted the President the power to appoint an additional Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court, up to a maximum of 6 for every sitting member over the age of 70 • Opponents viewed the legislation as an attempt to stack the court leading to the name “Court Packing Plan” • Roosevelt’s initiative ultimately failed due to adverse public opinion and other factors • Due to circumstances Roosevelt actually ended up appointing 8 Supreme Court justices in his 12 years in office but this was not because of the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill