The New Deal Dbq Essay

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The Great Depression, beginning in the last few months of 1929, impacted the vast majority of people nationwide and worldwide. With millions of Americans unemployed and many in danger of losing their homes, they could no longer support their families. Children, if they were lucky, wore torn up ragged clothing to school and those who were not lucky remained without clothes. The food supply was scarce, and bread was the most that families could afford. Households would receive very limited rations of food, or small amounts of money to buy food. This led to the starvation of families, including children. African-americans faced tougher challenges than most during the Depression due to discrimination. The classes hit hardest were middle-class …show more content…

This led to numerous viewpoints on the New Deal and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Critics on the left begged for relief and an expansion of New Deal programs where, those on the right argued that the poor did not deserve their money because they didn’t prepare well enough prior to the Great Depression and that they would take advantage of it. Criticisms originating on the left side of the political spectrum range from pure anger to arguments that are more supported. The arguments of the poorly educated leftist critics are full of anger and express what they believe to be injustices. One writer criticizes President Roosevelt for suggesting that citizens try to live on seven cents per day. Roosevelt is also criticized for indulging in luxuries such as cars, airplanes, and vacations. The same writer also states that the Roosevelts, “have every comfort that the common people of our great nation is toiling to provide” (McElvaine, 186). There is a great amount of discontent among the poor regarding their treatment in New Deal relief programs. It is common during this period for welfare to not be distributed evenly. …show more content…

Due to severe discrimination in the South, aid from New Deal programs often did not reach blacks. Many blacks were also fearful for their life and the wellbeing of their families and refrained from signing their names when writing to officials and President Roosevelt. African-americans wrote letters to President Roosevelt complaining about conditions they faced when trying to participate in New Deal programs. One writer complains that, “som gets a little and some gets none” whenever a shipment of food arrives in the town (McElvaine, 83). Another african-american complains that provisions never reach them and that the officials in Georgia are using everything that is sent for themselves (McElvaine, 83). New Deal programs, such as the W.P.A., were supposed to provide work equally, but this was not the case. Jobs in the south were often given to whites over blacks making it nearly impossible for blacks to make a living. One writer criticizes the Works Progress Administration, a large part of the New Deal, and asks, “do the government insist on Jim Crow on the W.P.A. projects?” (McElvaine, 89). The Great Depression impacted everyone but the african-americans had to face poverty and discrimination

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