Fdr's Legacy: Lawbreaker Or Law-Abiding Citizen?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president and the only one to have served more than two terms.

FDR's unprecedented third-term election in 1940, and fourth-term election in 1944, caused a popular backlash that led to the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, which limits the president to two terms. FDR's decision to break the two-term precedent set by George Washington was made as the United States neared its entry into World War II.

While FDR's decision to run for a third and fourth term was controversial, it is not clear that he broke the law.

FDR's third-term election

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the only US president to have served more than two terms.

The third-term decision dominated his election campaign against the Republican contender, Wendell Wilkie. Roosevelt won the election by a wide margin, and he was able to win a fourth election in 1944. However, he died in April 1945, only a few months into his fourth term.

The popular fallout about the concept of a long-term president led to the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, which states: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."

The New Deal

During Roosevelt's first hundred days in office in 1933 until 1935, he introduced what historians refer to as the "First New Deal", which focused on the "3 R's": relief for the unemployed and for the poor, recovery of the economy back to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression. Roosevelt declared a four-day bank holiday and implemented the Emergency Banking Act, which enabled the Federal Reserve to insure bank deposits; this was made permanent with Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Other laws established the National Recovery Administration (NRA), which allowed industries to create "codes of fair competition"; the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which protected investors from abusive stock market practices; and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), which raised rural incomes by controlling production. Public works were undertaken in order to find jobs for the unemployed (25 percent of the workforce when Roosevelt took office): the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enlisted young men for manual labor on government land, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) promoted electricity generation and other forms of economic development in the drainage basin of the Tennessee River.

Although the First New Deal helped many find work and restored confidence in the financial system, by 1935 stock prices were still below pre-Depression levels and unemployment still exceeded 20 percent. From 1935 to 1938, the "Second New Deal" introduced further legislation and additional agencies which focused on job creation and on improving the conditions of the elderly, workers, and the poor. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) supervised the construction of bridges, libraries, parks, and other facilities, while also investing in the arts; the National Labor Relations Act guaranteed employees the right to organize trade unions; and the Social Security Act introduced pensions for senior citizens and benefits for the disabled, mothers with dependent children, and the unemployed. The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibited "oppressive" child labor, and enshrined a 40-hour work week and national minimum wage.

FDR's legacy

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president, and the only one to have served more than two terms. FDR's legacy is a complex one, with some historians and political scientists ranking him as one of the three greatest presidents, while others have criticised his policies, positions, and the consolidation of power.

FDR's presidency was defined by his response to two of the greatest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. In doing so, he greatly expanded the powers of the federal government through a series of programs and reforms known as the New Deal. FDR's New Deal was a series of domestic programs, public work projects, and financial reforms and regulations enacted to address the Great Depression, which began in 1929. The New Deal was widely believed to be necessary to stabilise and rationalise the economy, and it is credited with restoring faith in American democracy at a time when many people believed that the only choice left was between communism and fascism.

FDR's New Deal was split into two parts: the "First New Deal" (1933-1935) and the "Second New Deal" (1935-1938). The First New Deal focused on the "3 R's": relief for the unemployed and the poor, recovery of the economy back to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression. The Second New Deal introduced further legislation and additional agencies that focused on job creation and improving the conditions of the elderly, workers, and the poor.

FDR's New Deal produced a political realignment, reorienting the Democratic Party's base to the New Deal coalition of labor unions, blue-collar workers, big-city machines, racial minorities (most importantly African-Americans), white Southerners, and intellectuals. This realignment crystallised into a powerful liberal coalition that dominated presidential elections into the 1960s.

FDR's economic policies

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. FDR's economic policies were collectively known as the "New Deal", which aimed to stabilise the economy and address the Great Depression. Here is an overview of FDR's economic policies:

The First New Deal (1933-1935)

The First New Deal focused on the "3 Rs": relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the economy, and reform of the financial system to prevent another depression. Here are some key aspects:

• FDR declared a four-day bank holiday and implemented the Emergency Banking Act, allowing the Federal Reserve to insure bank deposits. This was made permanent with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
• The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was established, allowing industries to create "codes of fair competition".
• The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created to protect investors from abusive stock market practices.
• The Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) was set up to raise rural incomes by controlling production.
• The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enlisted young men for manual labour on government land.
• The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) promoted electricity generation and economic development in the Tennessee River basin.

The Second New Deal (1935-1938)

The Second New Deal introduced further legislation and agencies focused on job creation and improving conditions for the elderly, workers, and the poor. Here are some key aspects:

• The Works Progress Administration (WPA) supervised the construction of bridges, libraries, parks, and other facilities, while also investing in the arts.
• The National Labor Relations Act guaranteed employees the right to organise trade unions.
• The Social Security Act introduced pensions for senior citizens and benefits for the disabled, mothers with dependent children, and the unemployed.
• The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibited "oppressive" child labour and established a 40-hour work week and national minimum wage.

FDR's domestic affairs

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. Here is an overview of his domestic affairs:

The Great Depression and the New Deal

FDR's first term as president was focused on rescuing the United States from the Great Depression, the worst depression in its history. To do this, he introduced the New Deal, a series of domestic programs, public work projects, and financial reforms and regulations. The New Deal was divided into the "First New Deal" (1933-1935) and the "Second New Deal" (1935-1938), with some scholars arguing for a "Third New Deal" (1937). The First New Deal focused on the "3 R's": relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the economy, and reform of the financial system to prevent another depression. FDR's administration passed a flurry of legislation in the first 100 days, including the Emergency Banking Act, which enabled the Federal Reserve to insure bank deposits, and the Glass-Steagall Act, which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). FDR also took America off the gold standard and established the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to regulate the stock market and prevent corporate abuses.

The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

The AAA was aimed at farmers, who were suffering from overproduction, which caused gluts in the farm market, dropping prices, and sending farmers' incomes plummeting. The AAA offered cash incentives to farmers who agreed to cut production, and by 1935, farm income had increased by more than 50%. However, the AAA was criticised for benefiting large farm-owners rather than the millions of poor tenant farmers and sharecroppers, and for policies that led to crops being ploughed under and livestock killed while many Americans went hungry.

The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

The NIRA was the centrepiece of FDR's industrial recovery program. It created the Public Works Administration (PWA) and the National Recovery Administration (NRA). The PWA had a budget of over $3 billion and oversaw the construction of large-scale public works, including landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Triborough Bridge. The NRA, meanwhile, proposed a business-government partnership to regulate prices and wages, outlaw cutthroat practices, and curb unhealthy competition. However, the NRA was largely unsuccessful, with businesses ignoring the codes when it suited them and small business owners complaining that big businesses dominated the code-drafting process.

The Second New Deal

In response to setbacks in the Court, a new skepticism in Congress, and growing public clamour for more dramatic action, FDR passed important new initiatives as part of the Second New Deal, including the Social Security Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Social Security Act established a permanent system of universal retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, and welfare benefits for the handicapped and needy children. The National Labor Relations Act guaranteed workers the right to collective bargaining through unions of their own choice, and the Fair Labor Standards Act prohibited oppressive child labour, enshrined a 40-hour work week, and established a national minimum wage.

The Recession of 1937

FDR's second term was marked by a new dip in the Great Depression, with production and profits declining sharply and unemployment jumping from 14.3% in May 1937 to 19% in June 1938. This was partly due to FDR's determination, along with some of his advisers, to balance the federal budget, which resulted in reduced government spending.

World War II and Full Employment

The US reached full employment after entering World War II in December 1941. The war sparked massive job creation and public and private spending, with the vast majority of America's industrial and human resources brought to bear. Women and African Americans particularly benefited from the war-time economy, as the former joined the workforce in unprecedented numbers and the latter left the rural and poor South to find industrial employment.

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