Deck 22: The Great Depression and the New Deal

Question 1

In general, Americans responded to the suffering they experienced during the Great Depression

A) by rejecting the capitalistic system.
B) with a sense of guilt.
C) by refusing to work.
D) by embracing socialist principles.

Answer 1

with a sense of guilt.

Question 2

An important factor in bringing about the Depression in 1929 was the

A) fact that only 2 percent of the American population owned any kind of stock in 1929.
B) excessive prices charged by American farmers during the 1920s.
C) shallow and superficial nature of prosperity during the 1920s.
D) extremely high cost of wages and raw materials during the 1920s.

Answer 2

shallow and superficial nature of prosperity during the 1920s.

Question 3

President Hoover initially responded to the collapse of the American economy by

A) stressing the seriousness and long-term nature of the problem.
B) demanding that Congress raise taxes.
C) creating agencies and boards such as the National Credit Corporation and the Emergency Committee for Employment.
D) vetoing the Agricultural Marketing Act.

Answer 3

creating agencies and boards such as the National Credit Corporation and the Emergency Committee for Employment.

Question 4

The impact of the Great Depression on family life in the United States resulted in

A) a decrease in the divorce rate.
B) an increase in the birthrate.
C) an increase in the marriage rate.
D) more happy marriages.

Question 5

The Bonus Army

A) formed to distribute aid to the poor.
B) was composed of veterans seeking their pay bonuses.
C) acted to prevent violent strikes.
D) broke up urban riots.

Question 6

Herbert Hoover failed as a presidential leader partially because

A) he wanted to extend the power of the federal government too much.
B) his personality and background limited his actions.
C) he was too political.
D) he was a communist.

Question 7

The New Deal was based upon

A) socialist principles.
B) the belief that it was possible to create a just society.
C) strict economic orthodoxy.
D) the suggestions made to Roosevelt by President Hoover.

Question 8

During the 1932 presidential campaign, Franklin Roosevelt

A) often appeared vague concerning his plans for dealing with the Depression.
B) promoted a policy of massive spending by the federal government.
C) called for the United States to abandon the gold standard.
D) avoided the South.

Question 9

One thing that Franklin Roosevelt was able to do better than Herbert Hoover was to

A) effectively oppose welfare legislation by the federal government.
B) inflexibly pursue a well-defined political program.
C) resist Congress's demand for new and experimental programs.
D) communicate a sense of confidence to the American people.

Question 10

The first woman to serve in a president's Cabinet was appointed by Franklin Roosevelt to the position of

A) Secretary of Labor.
B) Defense Secretary.
C) Secretary of the Interior.
D) Secretary of State.

Question 11

During the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, his wife Eleanor

A) attempted to remain relatively inconspicuous in order not to embarrass the president.
B) promoted a policy of social reform.
C) had little or no influence on policy.
D) divorced him.

Question 12

During his first 100 days in office, Franklin Roosevelt

A) collected information and advice about curing the Depression.
B) continued Hoover's policies without adding any new ones of his own.
C) rushed a bewildering number of bills through Congress.
D) did little to assist the nation.

Question 13

The most immediate problem facing Roosevelt in March of 1933 was

A) bank failures.
B) labor unrest.
C) farm foreclosures.
D) veterans' bonuses.

Question 14

Harry Hopkins, director of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration,

A) showed little concern for the needs of young people.
B) preferred work relief to direct relief.
C) considered direct relief highly desirable.
D) believed the unfortunate in society should rely exclusively on private charity.

Question 15

The Agricultural Adjustment Act, designed by the New Deal to confront the nation's agricultural crisis,

A) rejected the concept of "parity prices."
B) successfully limited agricultural production.
C) helped the larger farmers more than the smaller farmers.
D) helped the smaller farmers more than the larger farmers.

Question 16

The New Deal attempted to revitalize American industry through the

A) R.F.C.
B) N.I.R.A.
C) A.A.A.
D) Wagner Act.

Question 17

One of the New Deal programs designed specifically to help young people in the United States during the Depression was the

A) Tennessee Valley Authority.
B) Wagner Act.
C) Civilian Conservation Corps.
D) National Industrial Recovery Act.

Question 18

An attempt by the New Deal to experiment with principles of regional planning was the

A) Tennessee Valley Authority.
B) Wagner Act.
C) National Industrial Recovery Act.
D) Civilian Conservation Corps.

Question 19

Opposition to the New Deal came mostly from

A) conservative labor leaders.
B) the poorer element of the South.
C) extreme left-wingers and extreme right-wingers.
D) the farmers.

Question 20

Relative to the First New Deal, the Second New Deal

A) responded to the demand for more social justice.
B) promoted fewer programs for social reform.
C) attempted to cooperate more with American businessmen.
D) focused on economic rather than social reform.

Question 21

The Works Progress Administration

A) supported actors, musicians, artists, and writers.
B) received great approval.
C) provided jobs to any and all citizens who wanted to work
D) paid higher wages than private industry.

Question 22

An attempt by the New Deal to aid tenant farmers specifically was the

A) Rural Electrification Act.
B) Works Progress Administration.
C) McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Bill.
D) Resettlement Administration.

Question 23

The Dust Bowl caused

A) prairie fires.
B) the sale of thousands of acres of public land.
C) urban riots.
D) millions of families to relocate.

Question 24

In 1935, during the second phase of the New Deal, President Roosevelt

A) endorsed most of the programs promoted by Huey Long.
B) encouraged more cooperation between business and government.
C) opposed an increase in taxes.
D) increased government regulation of business.

Question 25

With the passage of the Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act),

A) labor-management strife came to an immediate end.
B) labor was left free to organize without interference from the federal government.
C) unions were imposed on many agricultural workers who did not want them.
D) labor obtained the support necessary for successfully organizing.

Question 26

During the New Deal, American blacks

A) controlled the Tennessee Valley Authority.
B) viewed Eleanor Roosevelt as an opponent of racial justice.
C) benefited equally with whites from relief programs.
D) found FDR generally unwilling to support civil rights legislation.

Question 27

The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 sought to

A) restore tribes' political independence.
B) promote "study of Indian Civilization."
C) end the Dawes Act's allotment policies.
D) None of the above.

Question 28

Which of the following groups did not make up the Roosevelt coalition in the election of 1936?

A) organized labor
B) farmers
C) urbanites
D) elites and the rich

Question 29

Which of the following groups defected from the GOP during the 1936 election?

A) African Americans
B) Native Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) immigrants

Question 30

All of the following accurately relate the history of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 EXCEPT the act

A) tried to solve the problem of farm surpluses by controlling production.
B) enabled the federal treasury to make direct payments to farmers.
C) tried to market surplus crops.
D) was found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Question 31

Which of the following accurately relates the housing situation facing the nation in the late 1930s?

A) A shortage of urban housing existed.
B) Reformers convinced FDR to create low-income housing.
C) Slum clearance became a major focus of New Deal housing programs.
D) All of the above.

Question 32

The Home Owners' Loan Corporation

A) was created after the first 100 days.
B) was something FDR desperately wanted.
C) helped very few people save their homes from foreclosure.
D) had a minimal impact on housing policy.

Question 33

The Federal Housing Administration

A) was created in 1934 by the National Housing Act.
B) departed from HOLC policies.
C) failed to enable families to buy their own homes.
D) favored remodeling urban homes to building new suburban homes.

Question 34

The Fair Labor Standards Act

A) was passed in 1939.
B) was not able to raise workers' wages over time.
C) barred child labor in interstate commerce.
D) made major distinctions between men and women.

Question 35

The "Okies" fled

A) the Dust Bowl in the Southwest.
B) blizzards in Alaska.
C) hurricanes in Florida.
D) earthquakes in California.

Question 36

Which of the following were the two top industries in the United States by the late 1930s?

A) tourism and agriculture
B) agriculture and mining
C) mining and tourism
D) steel and automobile

Question 37

All of the following statements describe the development of American leisure by the late 1930s EXCEPT:

A) Many Americans found themselves with more time on their hands during the era because of the lack of jobs.
B) Sports continued to attract crowds, though attendance declined.
C) Contract bridge swept the country.
D) Leisure fascinated the working class much more than professionals, who failed to write on the subject.

Question 38

During the Great Depression, the lives of American women were probably disrupted less than those of men.

Question 39

In developing his New Deal policies, President Franklin Roosevelt rejected all the programs that President Hoover had instituted.

Question 40

The Communist party lost members during the 1930s as the New Deal addressed labor's complaints.

Question 41

The Works Progress Administration was a controversial New Deal program designed to deal with the demoralizing effect of unemployment on the American people.

Question 42

The New Deal probably aided the West less than any other region.

Question 43

More women occupied high positions in government in the Roosevelt administration than ever before in U.S. history.

Question 44

The early New Deal programs did much to assist the roughly 140,000 homeless women in the nation.

Question 45

In response to economic suffering, feminism increased during the 1930s.

Question 46

The New Deal was a consistent and well-organized effort to end the Depression and restructure society.

Question 47

The U.S. economy recovered in 1936 and continued to rise through World War II.

Question 48

In 1938, the tourist industry was the third largest industry in the United States, a reflection of the increasing use of the automobile.

Question 49

Explain the philosophy on which Herbert Hoover based the programs he implemented in an attempt to deal with the problems of the Great Depression and explain why his programs failed to deal adequately with the Depression crisis.

Question 50

Imagine yourself a member of the Bonus Army that marched on Washington in May 1932. Explain why you participated in the march and describe your reaction to the events that occurred during the march.

Question 51

Discuss Franklin Roosevelt's general approach to dealing with the problems of the Great Depression and give appropriate examples from his programs implemented in the first 100 days to illustrate your analysis.

Question 52

Illustrate how the New Deal programs during the Second New Deal (1935-1936) placed greater emphasis on social reform and social justice by discussing the major welfare programs inaugurated after that date.

Question 53

Imagine yourself a black working-class person during the 1930s. Describe the probable conditions of your life, and indicate how you might respond to the programs of the New Deal.

Question 54

Discuss the issues, candidates, and outcome of the 1936 presidential election.

Question 55

Discuss the major reform legislation passed by Congress during the Third New Deal during 1937 and 1938 and evaluate the degree to which these measures were successful.

Question 56

Write an essay explaining why you feel the New Deal was or was not successful in solving the problems of the Great Depression.

Question 57

In 1932, World War I veterans organized the so-called ________ to march on Washington.

Question 58

The informal group of advisers with which President Franklin Roosevelt surrounded himself was known as the ________.

Question 59

One of his critics whom President Franklin Roosevelt considered a great threat to the New Deal was the senator from Louisiana, ________.

Question 60

Designed to help prevent economic hardship for Americans during their old age, the ________ Act was passed in l935.

Question 61

In 1936, the Republicans nominated Governor ________ of Kansas.

Question 62

Critics called Roosevelt's attempt to reform the Supreme Court, "______________."

Question 63

In 1937, the Supreme Court upheld the ________ Act.

Question 64

In his book, ________, John Steinbeck writes of the plight of Mexican migrant workers.

Question 65

The author ________ wrote novels such as As I Lay Dying in the early 1930s that revealed southern racial problems.