Roosevelt and the Depression

"...even Jefferson realized that the exercise of the property rights might so interfere with the rights of the individual that the government, without whose assistance the property rights could not exist, must intervene, not to destroy individualism but to protect it.”

Roosevelt; The CommonWealth Club Address

What this passage says to me is that Roosevelt supports the concept of government involvement in the life of the individual. If government did not have impact on society people would be running rampant and because of the presence of government officials, citizens have the ability to roam about as they please without having to worry. I chose this passage because as much as I question the role of government in the personal lives of citizens, I understand this concept because it is a fact whether we like it or not that government impact has some positive effects, like limiting outsiders and protecting the individual. 


Great Depression: 

Industry and Labor

The National Recovery Administration (NRA), established in 1933 with the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), attempted to end cut-throat competition by setting codes of fair competitive practice to generate more jobs and thus more buying. Although the NRA was welcomed initially, business complained bitterly of over-regulation as recovery began to take hold. The NRA was declared unconstitutional in 1935. By this time other policies were fostering recovery, and the government soon took the position that administered prices in certain lines of business were a severe drain on the national economy and a barrier to recovery.
It was also during the New Deal that organized labor made greater gains than at any previous time in American history. NIRA had guaranteed to labor the right of collective bargaining (bargaining as a unit representing individual workers with industry). Then in 1935 Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act, which defined unfair labor practices, gave workers the right to bargain through unions of their own choice and prohibited employers from interfering with union activities. It also created the National Labor Relations Board to supervise collective bargaining, administer elections and ensure workers the right to choose the organization that should represent them in dealing with employers.
The great progress made in labor organization brought working people a growing sense of common interests, and labor's power increased not only in industry but also in politics. This power was exercised largely within the framework of the two major parties, however, and the Democratic Party generally received more union support than the Republicans.

Farmer and sons, dust storm, Cimarron County, Oklahoma, 1936. Photographer: Arthur Rothstein.
The drought that helped cripple agriculture in the Great Depression was the worst in the climatological history of the country. By 1934 it had dessicated the Great Plains, from North Dakota to Texas, from the Mississippi River Valley to the Rockies. Vast dust storms swept the region.
Source

          This passage "Industry and Labor" highlights the approaching of a bell curve for the depression. Labor unions being formed for workers and the NRA was found being unconstitutional. This gave workers a voice and more power in their political stances as the Democratic part had more support in this than the Republican. I chose this passage because it is similar to today's day in age, where the working class is outspoken and are mostly Democratic; and are all supported by some form of union. The image I chose looks as though it completely sums up the Depression. Everything just looks scarce and dry, and it reminds me of a book I read in 6th grade called Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.