Amazing number of agencies formed as a result of New Deal legislation. Read about the agencies and legislation whose acronyms have become part of governmental history.

Franklin Roosevelt had to deal with the Great Depression quickly when he became president in 1932. Read about the early New Deal legislation, how the money was spent, and who administered the programs. Find out about the Works Progress...

A brief description of how Eleanor Roosevelt helped to establish the National Youth Administration her reasons behind it.

Text of a speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt on the National Recovery Act and encouraging citizen involvement in government.

President Harry S. Truman presented his ideas for a Fair Deal in his State of the Union address in 1949. Read about his plans for extending the progressive legislation that had its start in Roosevelt's New Deal. Find out what passed,...

Franklin Roosevelt had many critics, many of whom criticized him for not going far enough with his New Deal legislation. Read about three such critics and their plans.

Read about the many programs that were part of Roosevelt's New Deal that targeted at getting the unemployed back to work.

Read the history of the Tennessee River Valley and the tension between private enterprise and government in the development of electricity and, surprisingly, fertilizer. Find out how the Tennessee Valley Authority was developed during...

A brief biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the ideas he had for getting the United States back on its feet during the Great Depression.

Students frequently echo sentiments such as, "The government is too big," or "The government should make welfare mothers pay for their own needs." It seems that many citizens, high schoolers included, have begun to believe in reduced...

After reading brief biographical information about Franklin Roosevelt, find out what he did immediately upon being sworn in as president in 1933. Find out about the legislation that aimed to encourage trust in banks, and the legislation...

The farm crisis began years before the stock market crash and was made worse by the Great Depression. Read about the legislation that was passed to stabilize commodity prices and help farmers stay on their farms.

President Roosevelt and his administration accomplished a lot during his first one hundred days in office. One piece of legislation was the Securities Act of 1933. Read the text of the entire act on this site. [pdf]

A very interesting discussion of the potential problems that plagued the implementation of the Social Security Act. Read about the cases brought before the Supreme Court which gave Congress the constitutional ability to tax and spend for...

See the first page of the Social Security Act from the National Archives date stamped August 12, 1935. FDR signed the act into law two days later.

Actions taken by Franklin D. Roosevelt upon becoming president in 1933. Read about how he took immediate steps to restore confidence in the banking segment of the American economy.

See how the relationship between the government and its citizens was changed with the passage of the Social Security Act in 1935.

One of the first laws passed in Franklin Roosevelt's first hundred days was the Agricultural Adjustment Act. Read about how it helped farmers in crisis. and how it was the forerunner of the federal farm program in existence today. [pdf]

The new states did a great deal of experimentation within the bounds of the new republican ideals. Read about three very different takes on how a state should be organized governmentally.

Overview of Roosevelt administration U.S. foreign policy and the challenge to remain neutral in an era of expansionist totalitarian regimes of Italy, Germany and Japan.

A school site that shows a collection of editorial cartoons from the 1930s responding to the First Hundred Days of Roosevelt's presidency. Great primary source material for viewpoints of the day.