Initial Post Due On The Fourth Day Of The Academic Week

Initial Post due on the fourth day of the academic week at 11:59 pm ET

Your task for each week’s discussion is to read all required resources. You must then respond to ONE of the questions. This is called your INITIAL POST. Click the blue Start a New Thread button to post your response. Your Initial Post is due by the fourth day of the academic week at 11:59 pm ET. Your Initial Post is worth 30 points and should be 250 words in length, which is equal to about 1 page of double-spaced writing in Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman 12 point font in a Word document.

Paper For Above instruction

The Roosevelt administration's New Deal policies were introduced to provide immediate relief to Americans suffering during the Great Depression and to prevent a future economic downturn. These policies aimed to address the severe unemployment, poverty, and economic instability faced by many citizens. Primarily, the New Deal supported working-class Americans, including industrial workers, farmers, and the unemployed, by creating jobs through public works projects, providing social safety nets, and reforming financial systems to stabilize the economy (Leuchtenburg, 1995). Programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) directly benefited individuals seeking employment and economic stability.

However, the policies also had notable exclusions, largely due to prevailing social attitudes and structural inequalities. Many marginalized groups, including African Americans, Native Americans, women, and rural poor communities, were either insufficiently supported or explicitly excluded from certain benefits. For example, New Deal programs often favored white Americans, and discriminatory practices limited the access of racial minorities to employment opportunities and social aid (Chambers, 2005). Native Americans and women faced significant barriers, with some policies reinforcing existing racial and gender hierarchies rather than challenging systemic discrimination (Kennedy, 1999). Therefore, while the New Deal aimed to uplift the average American and reform the economic system, it did so in a manner that excluded or marginalized some of the most vulnerable populations.

Overall, the New Deal's support was primarily concentrated on industrial workers and the urban middle class, with limited inclusion of marginalized groups, reflecting the social and racial prejudices of the era. Recognizing these exclusions is crucial for understanding the full impact of Roosevelt’s policies and the ongoing struggles for social justice and equality in America (Foner, 2014).

References

  • Chambers, W. (2005). The Roosevelt Myth: The New Deal and Its Critics. Westview Press.
  • Foner, E. (2014). The Civil War and Reconstruction. W. W. Norton & Company.
  • Kennedy, D. M. (1999). Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945. Oxford University Press.
  • Leuchtenburg, W. E. (1995). Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal: 1932-1940. HarperPerennial.

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