Notes

bonus army - A group of wwi veterans and their families who marched in Washington DC in 1932 to demand their immediate payment of a bonus they had been promised for military service
securities and exchange commission - An agency, created in 1934, that monitors the stock market and enforces law regulating the sale of stocks and bonds
wagner act - A law- also known as the national labors relations act- enacted in 1935 to protect workers' rights after the Supreme Court declared the national industrial recovery act unconstitutional
Purpose was to protect the right of workers to join unions and collective bargain and to prohibit unfair labor practices
federal home loan bank act - A law, enacted in 1931, that lowered home mortgage rates an allowed farmers to refinance their loans and avoid foreclosure
Prevent farmers and homeowners from losing their property
black tuesday - A name given to Oct. 29, 1929 when stock prices fell sharply
shantytown - A neighborhood in which people live in makeshift shacks
People called it Hooverville because they were disgusted with Herbert Hoover
great depression - A period, lasting from 1929 to 1940 in which the US economy was in severe decline and millions of Americans were unemployed
Causes: tariffs/war debts, crisis- farm sector, easy credit, unequal distribution of income
soup kitchen - A place where free or low cost food is served to the needy
Men were embarrassed to go during the Great Depression so the wives had to go
civilian conservation corps - Provided jobs for single males on conservation projects
national youth administration - An agency that provided young American with aid and employment during the Great Depression
Provide education, jobs, counseling, and recreation for young people
works progresss administration - An agency, established as part of the second new deal, that provided the unemployed with jobs in construction, garment making, teaching, the arts, and other fields
speculation - An involvement in risky business transactions in an effort to make a quick or large profit
alfred smith - Democrat, against republican - Herbert Hoover, Hoover won. Election of 1928
franklin roosevelt - Democrats pinned their hopes on him, popularly known as FDR, 2 term governor of New York, distant cousins of former president Theodore Roosevelt, attracted voters- friendly "can-do" attitude, effective/reform minded leader, combat problems of unemployment and poverty
eleanor roosevelt - Social reformer- combined her deep humanitarian impulses with great political skills, traveled country- urged president to appoint women to government positions
Important advisor on domestic policy
social security administration - A law, enacted in 1935 to provide aid to retirees, the unemployed, people with disabilities, and the families with dependent children
New deal policy that has the biggest long- term impact on the American economy
Provided insurance for the elderly, unemployment compensation, and aids people with disabilities and dependent children
united states housing authority - FHA, agency created in 1934 by the national housing act, continues to furnish loans for home mortgages and repairs
huey long - Senator of Louisiana, early supporter of the new deal, turned against Roosevelt, nationwide social program called share our wealth, promised something for everyone - established the federal deposit insurance cooperation (FDIC)
dust bowl - The region, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, that was made worthless for farming by drought and dust storms during the 1930's
Overproduction or crops, worst drought
glass-steagall banking act - The 1933 law that established the federal deposit insurance cooperation to protect individuals bank accounts
buying on margin - The purchasing of stocks by paying only a small percentage of the price borrowing the rest
Borrowing money to help pay for the stock
gone with the wind - A 1939 movie dealing with the life of southern plantation owners during the civil war- one of the most popular films of al time
dow jones industrial average - A measure based on the prices of the stocks of 30 large companies, widely used as a barometer of the stock markets health
dorothea lange - Photographer who documented American life during the great depression and the era of the new deal, she spent considerable time getting to know her subjects- destitute migrant workers- before she and her assistant set up their cameras, she had a limp because of her childhood case of polio, much of her work was funded by the federal agencies (farm security administration), helped draw attention to the desperate conditions in rural America
grapes of wrath - A novel by John Steinbeck, published in 1939, that deals with a family of Oklahomans who leave the dust bowl for California