Franklin D Roosevelt Three R's

861 Words2 Pages

The Three R’s Prior to the Presidential election of 1932, America was suffering. When Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was elected president, the unemployment rate was around 25%. He knew he would have to do something to get America moving again. The president did not disappoint. From March 9th to June 16th, 1933, Roosevelt sent congress a record number of bills, all which passed. President Roosevelt saw people no longer spending or investing because they were afraid. So he knew he had to restore public confidence. During Roosevelt’s Inauguration, he said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Although the New Deal did not end the depression, it was a success in restoring public confidence, creating new employment programs, and establishing banking reforms. The president’s first step was to give Americans confidence in banks again. When he took over as president on March 4th, 1933, 48 states, including the District of Columbia, had closed their banks. So the next day, Roosevelt declared a “Bank Holiday” and called for a special session of congress to start on March 9th. “This began an unprecedented period of experimentation during which Roosevelt tried different methods to ease the Depression; if they failed, he tried something else. His success in winning Congressional approval became the stuff of legend and established FDR as the most effective president in dealing with Congress during the first 100 days.” (Kenneth T. Walsh, Feb 12th, 2009). This is the period …show more content…

The New Deal was a success because it restored public confidence, created new programs, and established banking reforms. The New Deal brought quick relief and reform to millions of Americans who needed it fast. Although it did not end the Great Depression, President Roosevelt’s New Deal changed the people’s expectations of their future presidents and governments. It gave what Americans needed at the time, relief, recovery, and

Open Document