The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of American history. Specifically it will discuss Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" and its affect on American society, even today. Roosevelt's "New Deal" was sweeping reform and legislation geared to create jobs and get the country back on its feet after the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. Millions of people were out of work, homeless, and hopeless. Roosevelt began a reliance on the federal government for assistance that is still common today. Many people were critical of his plans at the time, feeling that too much reliance on the government was not good for society. Today, we take many of the programs Roosevelt began for granted, and after seeing the government response to Katrina, and other government blunders, it seems that the skeptics may have been right. Too much government may protect the people, but then they come to expect it, and protection can never completely defend against every disaster and economic catastrophe.
             The expansion in the 1930s did benefit the country greatly. Roosevelt's plan created jobs though programs such as the PWA, WPA, CCC, and many other programs designed to increase the country's infrastructure while getting people back to work. Many of the country's early highways, dams, and other major construction projects came from these programs (such as Route 66 and the Hoover Dam). He also created programs such as Social Security, a retirement system for America's aging, and the FDIC, which insures the deposits in America's banks and ensures depositors will not lose their funds as many did during the depression. He also created labor laws and the National Labor Relations Act, which created minimum wage and equity laws and outlawed child labor. All of these laws were extremely necessary to create a safer atmosphere for Americans, and ensure they were not taken advantage of in many areas of everyday life.
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