When tragedy struck the United States in the form of an impossibly damaging economic collapse, better known as the Great Depression, Herbert Clark Hoover found himself simply in the wrong place at the wrong time; the oval office, guiding the United States of America as president. Despite the common misconception that Hoover should take the blame as the catalyst for this great state of emergency, a collection of lesser well-known facts prove that Hoover actually accomplished much as a humanitarian, and an economic innovator and savior, quite the opposite of his stereotype. The 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover affected humanity in both socially and fiscally advantageous ways, thus allowing him the title of a beneficial person …show more content…
Foremost, Herbert Hoover led one of the most beneficial humanitarian relief efforts in recorded history, before his presidency, when he helped to feed Belgian families after World War One. As explained through the article “The President Who Hated His Job”, by the author Nancy Tappan, “At one point, he had 600 ships operating under a neutral flag of his own--he actually commissioned it--bringing food to Belgium” (2). Hoover so affected the world in a socially beneficial way because he provided food and, by extension a livelihood to displaced and poor families in Europe through operating under his own neutral flag, which helped to keep tensions on either side of the warfront minimal, and protect the people he serviced as well. Further, Hoover headed a gargantuan famine relief program inside the U.S.S.R, providing food to millions of people. As relayed in “Herbert Clark Hoover” by Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Rafaelle, “In 1921 Hoover directed a massive program for famine relief inside the Soviet Union. Russian novelist Maxim Gorky credited him with having saved three and a half million children and five and a half million adults” (Sisung 4). Herbert Hoover provided food to millions of people within the famine inflicted U.S.S.R, thus providing social relief because his efforts allowed people to regain the strength to go back …show more content…
In relevance to today’s world, Herbert Hoover’s successes, although overlooked, are connected to exemplifying the resilience of the American economy and people, and by proving the beneficial results of humanitarian efforts. If not for Hoover’s humanitarian efforts, especially his feeding of millions of famine victims during World War One, the world today would undoubtedly feel many impacts. One of such ramification pertains to an overall sparser populous because the deaths of the famine victims that would undeniably take place without Hoover’s saving grace would result in less reproduction in the areas in which these people lived, and thus fewer people. Further, although the United States can still feel the repercussions of the Great Depression and other economic recessions today, the current aftermath would surely be much worse had Hoover not done everything he thought he rightfully could to alleviate the pressure applied by the depression. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the presence of Herbert Hoover and his accomplishments are displayed through many details. Despite the fact that in rural areas of the country with smaller populations, such as the epicenter of the story, Maycomb, still feel the affliction of
...vaulted Hoover from unlikely presidential candidate to dark-horse candidate to the White House in a mere 18 months. At the time, Hoover's coordination of relief efforts re-earned him the title of "The Great Humanitarian" -- a far different image of the man than we have today as we link his name and presidency with the Great Depression.
In conclusion, Herbert Hoover tried every method he could think of to combat the Great Depression, unfortunately for him, he didn't know what the proper method was. This depression was unprecedented in American History, and Hoover tried to just let boom and bust run its course. He had some good ideas but they were too late in his term, he was too orthodox in his thinking, and he wasn't willing to try anything drastic. Herbert Hoover could have been a great president in a different era, but he just happened to be very unlucky with when he was elected. Hoover may end up being one of the worst presidents in history, but when you look at it closely, he was a victim of circumstance and environment.
Hoover is also vilified repeatedly for his inaction with the Depression. His personal policy and his party’s policy were designed to let the country find its own way, for if it became dependent on government aide, it would be a weaker nation that if it found it’s own way. This was a flawed assumption on their behalf though, because even in the 1920’s, there was a movement from many of the nation’s younger voters advocating change.
Hoover shared with the nation after the First World War, and he promised to bring continued peace and prosperity. He declared, “I have an abiding faith in their capacity, integrity and high purpose. “…we find some causes for concern. We have emerged from the losses of the Great War and the reconstruction following it with increased virility and strength.” In this regard, he also pushed the nation to take the blame and the initiative to be responsible to make that change needed.
Hoover believed that it should be the duty of the People and charity organizations to raise money to relieve economic struggle and that, “the opening of the doors of the National Treasury is likely to stifle this giving and thus destroy far more resources than the proposed charity from the Federal Government” ( AUTHOR 9). Hoover considered self-government and mutual self-help to be the “American way” (9) and that relying on the government for aid is a “disastrous system” ( AUTHOR 12) to embark upon. Contrastingly, Roosevelt stated that, “the Democratic Government had the innate capacity to protect its people against disasters” (AUTHOR 58) and that the government can accomplish tasks that charities and communities cannot. In his second inaugural address, he alluded to previous events such as the revolutionary war and noted that a strong and proactive Federal Government was necessary for the country’s recovery. Through the methods of government, Franklin Roosevelt united an off-track population, used government resources and the people's’ help to better the nation’s economy, and paved a promising path for future
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Alabama in the 1930s, and concerns itself primarily with the interrelated themes of prejudice and empathy. These themes are explored as the story follows Scout Finch as she learns lessons in empathy, ultimately rejecting prejudice. While all characters in Lee’s novel learn from their experiences, not all are able to grow in the same manner as Scout. The idea of a positive role model, typified by the character of Atticus Finch, and the ramifications of its absence, is a concept that Lee places much emphasis on. The isolated setting is also pivotal in the development of characters. Lee uses the contrast between characters that learn lessons in empathy and compassion, and characters that cling to the ideals of a small town, to explore factors that nurture or diminish prejudice.
When the stock market crash of 1929 struck, the worst economic downturn in American history was upon Hoover’s administration. (Biography.com pag.1) At the beginning of the 1930s, more than 15 million Americans--fully one-quarter of all wage-earning workers--were unemployed. President Herbert Hoover did not do much to alleviate the crisis.(History n.pag.) In 1932, Americans elected a new president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who pledged to use the power of the federal government to make Americans’ lives better.
At the start of the Depression, many letters (mostly discouraging) were sent to President Hoover. These letters came primarily from well-to-do citizens, however some leftist workers’ letters found their way in as well. The well-to-do citizens agreed that the ultimate cause of the lower classes’ depression was their laziness and incompetence. On top of that, these well-to-do citizens thanked Hoover, probably because their money had gone unscathed (McElvaine, 38). Some opinions weren’t as favorable for the Hoover administration, however. Some people believed that “engineers may be intelligent but poor presidents” (pp. 43). Finally, the leftist parties did not appreciate the endeavors of the Hoover presiden...
As a society, we often judge people solely by what is said of them or by them; but not by what they did. We forget to take into account the legacy that one leaves behind when they sometimes fail at completing the current task. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the charismatic man who stood at the helm of American government during the most trying decade in our brief history, the 1930s, set out to help the “common man” through various programs. Many historians, forgetting the legacy of the “alphabet soup” of agencies that FDR left behind, claim that he did not fix the Great Depression and therefore failed in his goal. What this essay desires to argue is that those historians are completely right. Through his many programs designed to help the economy, laborers, and all people lacking civil rights, President Roosevelt did not put an end to the Great Depression; however he did adapt the federal government to a newly realized role of protector for the people.
The Great Depression America 1929-1941 by Robert S. McElvaine covers many topics of American history during the "Great Depression" through 1941. The topic that I have selected to compare to the text of American, Past and Present, written by Robert A. Divine, T.H. Breen, George M. Frederickson and R. Hal Williams, is Herbert Hoover, the thirty-first president of the United States and America's president during the horrible "Great Depression".
...pression. It was this that created Hoover’s conservative image. Moreover, Hoover's opinions changed from being against any government interference in the economy to being in support of the government encouraging employment by creating more jobs. Hoover differed from most presidents represented in Schlesinger's theory because touched upon private interest, transition, and public purpose, all within the one term of his presidency. Roosevelt was falsely credited with ending the Great Depression as a result of the success of his many programs instituted with the purpose of fighting against unemployment. He is therefore recognized by many as the more effective of the two presidents, which would then indicate that liberalism was more effectual than conservative ideas. However, in reality, Roosevelt was little more successful than Hoover in ending the Great Depression.
Herbert Hoover did not believe in government supporting its people; he was convinced that the government is not able to provide for the people effectively and that local and county governments are more effective. At a 1931 press conference, Hoover made the point that it is the “American” way to solve the crisis: “The basis of successful relief in national distress is to mobilize and organize the infinite number of agencies… That has been the American way of relieving distress among our own people and the country is successfully meeting its problem in the American way today” (Hanes and Hanes 9). Hoover builds off this point by claiming that it’s not the government's job to do so and that local charities do better and give Americans a sense of
President Herbert Hoover was the conservative republican president of America when the great depression occurred, and was given the burden of rebuilding the economy. He believed the federal government should not intervene, and instead believed that helping the needy was the obligation of private organizations and donors, whom he pressured. In addition, Hoover granted loans to big businesses, hoping that the money would “trickle down” and that more employees would be hired. Still, during...
Most Americans know the story, October 24, 1929, Black Tuesday. The pivotal event that signals the start of the worst economic disaster in American History: the Great Depression. Prior to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s election as President in 1934, Herbert Hoover presided over the nation’s frightful times. This was a time marked by soup kitchens, lines of unemployed persons, shantytowns called Hoovervilles and the Bonus Army’s march on Washington. The depression brought together people from all walks of life and united them under a common animosity and common target, President Hoover. The people came together through common association, through the Bonus Army, Hoovervilles, and through purely political motives intent on blaming Hoover for their
But for the majority of the country during one of our toughest times, he was what we needed. Without consulting history, it’s impossible to judge what he did very negatively. The old ways weren’t working, and while President Hoover tried to do something, it wasn’t enough. President Roosevelt was more successful with the actions he took for relief during the Great Depression. References: EyeWitness History editors.