Two programs still created during
the Great Depression that’s still in use
After the Crash of 1929 things started to go downhill real fast. “Hoover was president when the crash occurred but felt that the government should not become overly involved in helping individuals dealing with economic troubles...changed with the election of Franklin Roosevelt” (Kelly). At the start people were left to fend for themselves and do what they could with really no help in the first few years of the Depression. Hoover had failed to understand that the people couldn’t do this on their own they need help and someone to guide the way. Franklin realized this and new he had to act and quickly if not the nation’s condition would continue to worsen. So he created several programs that aimed to help the citizens of the United States to get back on their feet. Some of the programs that were created during the Great Depression are still in use today. One of them is the Tennessee Valley Authority or TVA. “The Tennessee Valley Authority was established in 1933” (Kelly). It was “a project involving dam construction planning on an unprecedented scale in order to curb flooding, generate electricity, and modernize…” (New Deal). In addition to building dams it also built hydroelectric projects so that floods could be controlled it also provided electricity “to the impoverished Tennessee Valley region of the South” (The Great Depression). The main goal of the TVA was to “modernize and reduce unemployment in the Tennessee River valley, one of the poorest and hardest-hit regions in the country” (TGD 1933-1934). TVA was able to provide both jobs and electricity to many in the region and despite the controversy that it had, it was still quite successful and as a result “the federal government initiated similar projects throughout the West and South” (TGD 1920-1940). “TVA was and is a federally owned corporation that works in this region to this day…is the largest public provider of electricity in the United States” (Kelly). Through the TVA, people were now able to get jobs to support themselves and improve their current situation even if only by a little. Another program still used today is the Social Security Act. Established in 1935, it was created to provide “Americans with unemployment, disability and pensions for old age” (New Deal). Before the creation of the Social Security Act there hadn’t really been much to help or support people that were of old age and many of the programs of the First Deal really were only for a short term solution to provide a quick relief (New Deal). “The Social Security Act was designed to combat the widespread poverty among senior citizens. The government program provided income to retired wage earners” (Kelly). The way that if it’s funded is by doubling the tax on working people’s paychecks, creating an insurance plan for a small relief for the unemployed until they can find another job (TGD 1920-1940). “For the first time the federal government took responsibility for the economic security of the aged, the temporarily unemployed, dependent children and the handicapped” (The New Deal). As a result it had made a big impact during the Great Depression and had changed the way people now think of retirement (TGD 1920-1940).
After the Crash of 1929 things started to go downhill real fast. “Hoover was president when the crash occurred but felt that the government should not become overly involved in helping individuals dealing with economic troubles...changed with the election of Franklin Roosevelt” (Kelly). At the start people were left to fend for themselves and do what they could with really no help in the first few years of the Depression. Hoover had failed to understand that the people couldn’t do this on their own they need help and someone to guide the way. Franklin realized this and new he had to act and quickly if not the nation’s condition would continue to worsen. So he created several programs that aimed to help the citizens of the United States to get back on their feet. Some of the programs that were created during the Great Depression are still in use today. One of them is the Tennessee Valley Authority or TVA. “The Tennessee Valley Authority was established in 1933” (Kelly). It was “a project involving dam construction planning on an unprecedented scale in order to curb flooding, generate electricity, and modernize…” (New Deal). In addition to building dams it also built hydroelectric projects so that floods could be controlled it also provided electricity “to the impoverished Tennessee Valley region of the South” (The Great Depression). The main goal of the TVA was to “modernize and reduce unemployment in the Tennessee River valley, one of the poorest and hardest-hit regions in the country” (TGD 1933-1934). TVA was able to provide both jobs and electricity to many in the region and despite the controversy that it had, it was still quite successful and as a result “the federal government initiated similar projects throughout the West and South” (TGD 1920-1940). “TVA was and is a federally owned corporation that works in this region to this day…is the largest public provider of electricity in the United States” (Kelly). Through the TVA, people were now able to get jobs to support themselves and improve their current situation even if only by a little. Another program still used today is the Social Security Act. Established in 1935, it was created to provide “Americans with unemployment, disability and pensions for old age” (New Deal). Before the creation of the Social Security Act there hadn’t really been much to help or support people that were of old age and many of the programs of the First Deal really were only for a short term solution to provide a quick relief (New Deal). “The Social Security Act was designed to combat the widespread poverty among senior citizens. The government program provided income to retired wage earners” (Kelly). The way that if it’s funded is by doubling the tax on working people’s paychecks, creating an insurance plan for a small relief for the unemployed until they can find another job (TGD 1920-1940). “For the first time the federal government took responsibility for the economic security of the aged, the temporarily unemployed, dependent children and the handicapped” (The New Deal). As a result it had made a big impact during the Great Depression and had changed the way people now think of retirement (TGD 1920-1940).