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Danielle Hernandez

Ms. Geraghty

American History

March 26, 2010

A New Deal for the nation

After suffering from much poverty and many hardships at the beginning of the Great

Depression, America was beginning to find hope through their new president, Franklin Delano

Roosevelt. FDR tried his best to better the nation through the efforts associated with the New

Deal. The New Deal included programs that offered assurance to many groups of people in this

time of crisis and some of the programs still do so today.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is one of the most important programs to come

from FDRs New Deal. The SSA provided pensions for senior citizens, offered government

disability payment, and aided the unemployed by giving them various benefits and payments.

Citizens over the age of 65 and their spouses were now paid to retire which also helped open up

jobs to a younger population that desperately needed them. The physically disabled, the blind,

and dependant children received government grants. The unemployed were dealt with by the

individual state governments which were all regulated by the federal government.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was very important because it did a great

deal to prevent another stock market crash from occurring. The Great Crash of 1929 had largely

been due to the massive purchase of stocks on margin. The SEC was now a government

programs which had the ability to regulate the number of stocks that were purchased on margin.

In addition to doing this, the SEC also had the authority to tell companies and large corporations
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what information must be given in their financial statements. This prevented fraud and other

forms of dishonest trading practices.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was FDRs favorite program and a very critical

one at that. The Corps would take young, unmarried men off the streets and away from trouble

by giving them work. It was a very well-liked program because not only did the masses of

unemployed men (and some women) receive jobs, but they also were sent to live on government

funded camps where they received food, medical care, and job training. They received only $1 a

day but were glad for this because it made them feel like they were being progressive and,

therefore, heightened their self-confidence.

The significance of the SSA and the SEC are obvious since they stood the test of time.

These two programs still exist in America today and have prevented turmoil such as that caused

by the stock market crash of 1929 from happening once again. The CCC, though it no longer

exists, was a very important program which picked the people of the Great Depression back up

on their feet. Without this crucial first push, the economy would never have gotten back on a roll

until the Second World War. The CCC was important both for the economy and also for the

morale of the people as a whole. These three programs are only a few of many but can be

considered some of the most important.