Deck 21: The New Deal, 1932-1940

Question 1

Liberalism during the New Deal came to be understood as:

A) limited government and free market enterprise.
B) active government to uplift less fortunate members of society.
C) a trust in the government to regulate personal behavior.
D) individual autonomy, limited government, and unregulated capitalism.

Answer 1

active government to uplift less fortunate members of society.

Question 2

The first thing that Roosevelt attended to as president was the ________ crisis.

A) housing
B) farming
C) banking
D) unemployment

Answer 2

banking

Question 3

Social Security Poster

As compared with earlier legislation of the New Deal, the program advertised in this poster

A) was not nearly as successful.
B) was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
C) had less longevity.
D) tended to focus more on systemic reform than on immediate relief.

Answer 3

tended to focus more on systemic reform than on immediate relief.

Question 4

New Deal housing policy:

A) was similar to the housing policy established during Hoover's presidency.
B) was limited in scope because of a lack of funding.
C) was a remarkable departure from the housing policies of previous administrations.
D) addressed only the needs of home owners, not those of renters.

Question 5

The National Industrial Recovery Act:

A) was never passed.
B) established codes that set standards for production, prices, and wages in several industries.
C) established codes that continued the open-shop policies of the 1920s.
D) encouraged "cutthroat" competition between businesses.

Question 6

Critics of the New Deal who also opposed Long's view

A) were successful in pointing out the flaws of his proposals and shifting the will of Congress.
B) acknowledged the merits of Long's proposals due to the economic calamity at the time.
C) believed that the government was already doing too much in providing direct relief.
D) could accept modest redistribution of wealth.

Question 7

All of the statements about Roosevelt's group of advisers known as the "Brains Trust" are true EXCEPT:

A) the "Brains Trust" saw big corporations as an inevitable part of the modern economy.
B) the "Brains Trust" believed that large corporations needed to be directed by the government.
C) the "Brains Trust" included university professors.
D) the "Brains Trust" believed that large corporations needed to be dismantled.

Question 8

The Tennessee Valley Authority:

A) applied only to the American West.
B) put young men to work in national parks.
C) applied only to the state of Tennessee.
D) combined economic regional planning with relief.

Question 9

The Resettlement Administration:

A) oversaw the eviction of sharecroppers and tenant farmers from unsuitable farmland.
B) established temporary relief camps for displaced migrant workers.
C) was widely considered the First New Deal's most successful initiative.
D) limited its scope to setting up permanent housing communities such as Greenbelt.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT true of the Columbia River project?

A) It typified New Deal public-works programs designed to keep natural resources in public rather than private control.
B) Its result, the Grand Coulee Dam, eventually produced the cheapest electricity in the nation.
C) It promoted economic growth and provided jobs.
D) Its consideration of environmental impact (such as accommodation for fish) became a model for future dam projects on western rivers.

Question 11

The Agricultural Adjustment Act:

A) raised farm prices by establishing quotas and paying farmers not to plant more.
B) lowered farm prices by establishing quotas and paying farmers to grow more.
C) was beneficial to sharecroppers and tenant farmers.
D) established a government program of distributing food to the hungry.

Question 12

Franklin D. Roosevelt:

A) did not believe "every man" had the right to make a comfortable living.
B) called for the repeal of Prohibition.
C) was born into privilege, but earned a reputation as representing ordinary citizens.
D) B and C

Question 13

During the 1932 election:

A) FDR boldly outlined his plans for a New Deal.
B) Herbert Hoover made a late rally and nearly defeated Roosevelt.
C) FDR played on his disability to garner public sympathy and to make himself seem more like an ordinary man.
D) FDR called for a balanced government and criticized Hoover for excessive government spending.

Question 14

The Civilian Conservation Corps:

A) put young men to work in national parks.
B) was headed by Hugh S. Johnson.
C) put young women to work in schools.
D) put older workers back to work.

Question 15

Social Security Poster

Programs like the one described in the poster were typically the result of

A) populist movements that urged Roosevelt to expand efforts to change the government's role in the economy.
B) petitions by the aged who claimed they were owed by society for their years of contributions to the workforce.
C) efforts of American politicians to respond to social welfare policies in Europe that might make the United States look uncaring about its poor.
D) conservative campaigns to enact legislation that would primarily benefit Republican constituencies.

Question 16

Ultimately, Long's views of redistribution

A) were incorporated extensively into New Deal programs.
B) were never implemented nationally.
C) became the foundation for the "Second 100 Days" programs.
D) were enthusiastically adopted in many southern states.

Question 17

Which of the following is the most accurate characterization of FDR's New Deal philosophy?

A) FDR was not concerned that direct relief payments to the jobless would undermine self-reliance.
B) FDR preferred to create jobs that improved the nation's infrastructure.
C) FDR was at odds with most of his cabinet and the majority of Congress over the Economy Act.
D) FDR opposed the CCC, fearing its goals of unemployment relief and environmental enhancement were too ambitious for his first 100 days in office.

Question 18

Why did President Franklin D. Roosevelt dissolve the Civil Works Administration?

A) Its head Harold Ickes had become embroiled in a corruption scandal.
B) The CWA had worked so efficiently that it ran out of projects by the end of 1935.
C) Regular Americans were complaining that they failed to see the benefits of this works program.
D) Complaints multiplied that this measure was contributing to a permanent class of government dependents.

Question 19

Why was the Glass-Steagall Act a key piece of legislation?

A) It took on the debt of commercial banks to ensure their solvency and financial health.
B) It established a gold standard to shore up the strength of the American dollar.
C) It banned commercial banks from involvement in buying and selling stocks, and set up the FDIC.
D) It proved to be a temporary financial measure that did not survive beyond the Great Depression.

Question 20

According to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, how could corporations have prevented the Great Depression?

A) By being less discriminatory in their hiring practices.
B) By investing less overseas.
C) By increasing their workers' wages.
D) By paying their taxes.

Question 21

By 1935, the New Deal:

A) had ended the Depression.
B) had the full support of the Supreme Court.
C) was validated in the United States v. Butler decision.
D) faced mounting pressures and criticism.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT true of the Works Progress Administration?

A) It refused employment to professionals such as dentists.
B) It put 3 million Americans to work every year until 1943.
C) Its construction projects included airports, swimming pools, and stadiums.
D) It employed people to write state guidebooks and record stories of former slaves.

Question 23

Why did workers during the 1930s make demands that went beyond better wages?

A) They wanted to participate in management decisions.
B) They were hoping that the economic crisis could be the beginning of a socialist revolution.
C) They generally preferred government employment over jobs with private businesses.
D) They were hoping to establish a set of basic civil liberties for workers.

Question 24

Upton Sinclair:

A) was head of the CIO.
B) worked for the New Deal administration.
C) was head of the End Poverty in California movement.
D) was elected governor of California in 1934.

Question 25

Which of the following statements does NOT explain why the phrase "labor's great upheaval" accurately describes some of the events of 1934?

A) Four hundred thousand textile workers went on strike up and down the country.
B) The "Citizen's Alliance" of Minneapolis accused city officials of being in bed with labor, and attempted to remove them from office by force.
C) Ten thousand auto workers in Toledo, Ohio, battled the police and the National Guard.
D) There were at least 2,000 strikes that year, many ending in violent confrontations with police.

Question 26

The Share Our Wealth movement was:

A) led by Dr. Francis Townsend and directed at Americans over the age of sixty.
B) led by Henry Ford and directed at auto manufacturers.
C) led by Father Charles E. Coughlin and directed at Catholics.
D) led by Louisiana senator Huey Long and gained a national following.

Question 27

Which of the following Second New Deal measures came closest to meeting the demands of the Congress of Industrial Organizations for workplace democracy?

A) Social Security.
B) Federal Housing Administration.
C) The Wagner Act.
D) The Works Progress Administration.

Question 28

The Social Security Act of 1935:

A) was originally vetoed by President Roosevelt.
B) was adopted from the British welfare system.
C) provided federal funding for the poor and needy.
D) included pensions and unemployment relief.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Huey Long and Upton Sinclair generated movements of popular protest that helped spark the Second New Deal.
B) The popular followings of Upton Sinclair, Huey Long, and Dr. Francis Townsend reflected the unhappiness of many Americans over the slowness of economic recovery.
C) Dr. Francis Townsend's idea to have the elderly receive monthly government payments was uniformly rejected and died very quickly.
D) Huey Long met his death in 1935 from an assassin's bullet.

Question 30

Which of the following statements best describes the CIO's philosophy about the role of government in relation to labor?

A) Unions could work in cooperation with government to raise wages and create consumer demand.
B) Government could help shield Americans from economic and social insecurity through universal health care and public housing.
C) Government could not be trusted, as was made clear in 1934 when elected officials across America called on local police to break up strikes and arrest labor leaders.
D) A and B

Question 31

In contrast to the American Federation of Labor, the Congress of Industrial Organizations fought for:

A) shorter hours.
B) freedom of speech.
C) better wages.
D) industrial democracy.

Question 32

Which two New Deal programs did the Supreme Court rule unconstitutional?

A) Securities and Exchange Commission and Public Works Administration.
B) National Recovery Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps.
C) Glass-Steagall Act and Agricultural Adjustment Act.
D) Agricultural Adjustment Act and National Recovery Administration.

Question 33

The Wagner Act:

A) created the Works Progress Administration.
B) allowed the National Labor Relations Board to supervise union elections.
C) sponsored ballet and modern dance programs.
D) made all unions illegal.

Question 34

Religion on the radio in the 1930s:

A) had little influence on American public views about politics.
B) helped pave the way for the use of broadcast media to disseminate religious messages in the twentieth century.
C) was characterized by Father Charles E. Coughlin, whose show criticizing government economic intervention amounted to a "holy crusade" in support of big business and Wall Street bankers.
D) replaced traveling evangelist preachers.

Question 35

Which statement about the New Deal is true?

A) Social Security was a Second New Deal program.
B) The first New Deal dealt mostly with economic security.
C) The New Deal championed civil rights and actively worked at ending Jim Crow.
D) The Second New Deal dealt mostly with economic recovery.

Question 36

Which of the following offers the best description of the "First New Deal"?

A) It reduced the nation's unemployment rate by 80 percent.
B) It saw more failure than success, in terms of job creation and infrastructure improvement.
C) It faced very little challenge from critics across a broad spectrum of American society.
D) It was essentially a set of policy experiments that had mixed results.

Question 37

By 1935, Huey Long and Francis Townsend had made which of the following approaches to economic recovery less promising for New Dealers?

A) Agricultural reform.
B) Social Security reform.
C) The regulation of the stock market.
D) Efforts at general business recovery.

Question 38

What factor contributed to the growth of union membership in the 1930s?

A) Workers' militancy and the tactical skills of a new generation of leaders.
B) The government's unsympathetic view of workers' rights.
C) The minimal amount of labor unrest during the 1930s.
D) The American Federation of Labor's willingness to organize unions of industrial workers.

Question 39

What did the election of Roosevelt mean to many American industrial workers?

A) A federal government more sympathetic to the plight of oppressed workers.
B) Fear that Roosevelt would advocate for welfare capitalism rather than collective bargaining.
C) Hope for an end to the miniature dictatorships of factory managers and owners.
D) A and C

Question 40

Which statement is true about the UAW sit-down strikes in Flint, Michigan?

A) The Democratic governor used force against the workers.
B) The workers were disunited.
C) The workers failed to get General Motors to negotiate.
D) The workers stayed inside the plants and kept the machines in working order.

Question 41

After the Court-packing attempt, how did the change in the jurisprudence of the U.S. Supreme Court affect American life?

A) Changing sentiments in the U.S. Supreme Court led to the erosion of the Wagner Act.
B) The newfound resolve of the U.S. Supreme Court meant a restoration of the National Recovery Act.
C) The new lineup in the United States meant that Roosevelt had to abandon plans for universal health care.
D) The new political climate in the U.S. Supreme Court meant that a federal child labor ban could stand constitutional muster.

Question 42

Why did FDR try to change the balance of power on the Supreme Court?

A) He feared the Supreme Court might invalidate the Wagner and Social Security acts.
B) He was worried about being able to run for a third term as president.
C) He needed the Court's support for upcoming war measures against Germany.
D) He feared that the Supreme Court might invalidate the National Recovery Act or the Agricultural Adjustment Act.

Question 43

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe a result of "the southern veto"?

A) Southern states had an enormous impact on national policy during the Depression.
B) New Deal programs largely benefited whites at the expense of blacks.
C) Blacks lost the right to vote across the South.
D) To maintain support in Congress, Roosevelt pursued legislation acceptable to southern Democrats.

Question 44

Which phrase best describes Eleanor Roosevelt's tenure as First Lady?

A) Redefined the role of First Lady, championing women's rights, civil rights, and human rights.
B) Modest goals, spoke softly about one or two appropriately feminine issues.
C) Championed the cause of children's health care, but stuck only to that issue.
D) Worked hard for her husband, as he was confined to the wheelchair, but did not take up any causes of her own.

Question 45

How did the government try to prevent the rise of women in the workforce during the Depression?

A) State and local governments prohibited the hiring of women whose husbands earned a "living wage."
B) New Deal programs such as Social Security established quotas for the distribution of benefits to working women.
C) Legislation banned both members of a married couple from holding federal jobs.
D) B and C

Question 46

What prompted as many as 200,000 American citizens to leave the country during the Great Depression?

A) They sought exile in the Soviet Union, where they hoped economic planning would bring about prosperity more quickly.
B) They returned to their home countries in Europe, frustrated with the lack of economic opportunity in the United States.
C) Some children had little choice as they went with their Mexican-born parents to Mexico.
D) These Americans often traveled to Latin America, trying to promote the policies of the New Deal.

Question 47

When Mary McLeod Bethune remarked that the New Deal offered African-Americans a new day, she:

A) was referring to the successful passage of a federal antilynching law.
B) expressed the hope for change despite continued discrimination in federal housing and employment.
C) was referring to the growing support for black rights in the South.
D) expressed her approval of New Deal policies regarding blacks.

Question 48

In the presidential election of 1936:

A) Roosevelt chose not to run again.
B) business leaders supported the Democratic Party.
C) the so-called New Deal coalition reelected FDR in a landslide.
D) the Republican candidate Alfred Landon promised to expand Social Security.

Question 49

The Fair Labor Standards Act instituted all of the following changes EXCEPT it:

A) banned goods produced by child labor from interstate commerce.
B) established the fifty-hour workweek.
C) set the minimum wage.
D) required overtime pay.

Question 50

How did the federal government institutionalize racism during the New Deal?

A) The Wagner Act excluded African-Americans.
B) The Federal Housing Administration refused to ensure mortgages in integrated neighborhoods.
C) The abolition of the gold standard penalized more traditional family savings in bullion.
D) The Security and Exchange Commission was staffed entirely by Anglo-Americans.

Question 51

Why did a stigma emerge around public assistance during the New Deal years?

A) Only a very few Americans actually needed government assistance during the Great Depression.
B) Black workers were relegated to the least generous assistance programs with discriminatory eligibility standards administered by states.
C) New Deal work programs helped restore economic prosperity relatively quickly, leaving only the least qualified long-term unemployed behind.
D) By the middle of the 1930s, more and more Americans came to associate New Deal assistance programs with similar government help offered in Nazi Germany.

Question 52

The Popular Front:

A) was the Democratic Party's campaign slogan in the 1930s.
B) was a conservative challenge to New Deal liberalism.
C) was a political and cultural movement associated with the Communist Party.
D) was created when the Communist Party was absorbed by the Democrats.

Question 53

Which statement about the Social Security Act is FALSE?

A) It included aid to families with dependent children.
B) It was original in its concept and design.
C) Congress dropped the provision for national health insurance from the original bill.
D) It created a system of unemployment insurance.

Question 54

Which statement about the Indian New Deal is FALSE?

A) It ended the policy of forced assimilation.
B) It allowed Indians cultural autonomy.
C) It continued the policy of the Dawes Act.
D) It replaced boarding schools with schools on reservations.

Question 55

Which of the following statements best assesses the fate of feminism during the New Deal?

A) Eleanor Roosevelt's leadership helped bring about a revival of organized feminism.
B) Since women in domestic service were less often fired than blue-collar male workers, feminists earned much public sympathy.
C) Given the broad consensus that the job claims of male providers superseded women's, organized feminism essentially disappeared.
D) The sense of failure men experienced in the workplace prompted many of them to turn to women and feminists for leadership.

Question 56

In fireside chats and public addresses, President Roosevelt connected freedom with:

A) economic security.
B) cuts in government spending.
C) Keynesian economic theory.
D) economic inequality.

Question 57

Why did Roosevelt's Republican challenger Alfred Landon fail in his bid for the presidency in 1936?

A) His traditional urban Catholic constituency considered him too radical.
B) The Republican establishment thought him too much like Roosevelt for their taste.
C) He had made the mistake of relying on the organizational skills of the conservative AFL.
D) He faced a powerful new political coalition that would deliver Republicans plenty of defeats for the next few decades.

Question 58

How did President Franklin D. Roosevelt describe the notion of a "liberty of contract"?

A) He described it as the "foundation of social justice."
B) He rejected it as a violation of his own socialist principles.
C) He dismissed it as an un-American idea "from the welfare states of Europe."
D) He denounced it as a service to the interest of "the privileged few."

Question 59

Which of the following had been a traditional belief prior to the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes?

A) Balanced budgets were sacred.
B) A bimetallic standard was superior to the gold standard.
C) Depressions typically emerged from a consumer's crisis of confidence.
D) A national economy always benefited from a trade surplus.

Question 60

The Scottsboro case:

A) reflected the racism that was prevalent in the South during the 1930s.
B) was refused a hearing by the Supreme Court.
C) was publicized by the Industrial Workers of the World.
D) established legal principles that greatly restricted the definition of civil liberties.

Question 61

In 1938, Congress established the House Un-American Activities Committee, which:

A) was part of the expanded notion of civil liberties under the New Deal.
B) included liberals and unionists in its definition of "un-American."
C) focused on fascism and ultranationalists.
D) focused on racism and white supremacy in the South.

Question 62

Evaluate the extent to which the New Deal of the 1930s contributed to maintaining continuity as well as fostering change during the period 1932 to 1945.

Question 63

What ended the Great Depression?

A) New Deal programs.
B) The rebound of the stock market.
C) World War II spending.
D) Laissez-faire government.

Question 64

Describe the long-term political realignment that occurred in the United States as a result of the new political coalitions that were created during the 1930s.

Question 65

The New Deal will be remembered in American history:

A) as a set of public policy initiatives that did not result in sustained prosperity.
B) as more powerful in scope than future European welfare states.
C) for recasting the idea of American freedom to include a public guarantee of economic security for ordinary people.
D) as the key factor in Franklin D. Roosevelt's deep unpopularity with the majority of the American people by 1940.