| Term | Definition |
| Great Depression | A period lasting from
1929-1940 in which the U.S.
economy was in severe decline and
millions of Americans were
unemployed. |
| Dust Bowl | The region, including Texas, Oklahoma,
Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, that
was made worthless for farming by drought
and dust storms during the 1930’s. |
| John Steinbeck | Writer during the Great Depression who wrote The Grapes of Wrath. Depicted the plight of the poor tenant farmers
who lost everything during the dust
bowl |
| New Deal | President Franklin Roosevelt's program to alleviate the problems of the Great Depression, focusing on relief for the needy, economic recovery and financial reform
. |
| Franklin Roosevelt | Elected President in1932 who
introduced a New Deal program to get
the economy moving again. |
| Fireside Chats | President Roosevelt used the radio to
speak directly to the American people.
He explained his policies in simple
conversational terms. |
| Eleanor Roosevelt | A political activist, who served as the
eyes and ears to her husband,
President Roosevelt. |
| Social Security
Act | A law in 1935 to provide aid to retirees, the
unemployed, people with disabilities and
families with dependent children |
| Glass-Steagall Banking
Act | This law in 1933 established the
Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation(FDIC) to protect individual
bank accounts. |
| Court Packing | Roosevelt adapted a plan to appoint six
supreme court justices giving him control
over the court. His scheme was condemn
by the public and rejected by Congress. |
| Federal Home Loan
Bank Act | A law in 1931 that lowered home
mortgage rates and allowed farmers to
refinance their loans and avoid
foreclosure. |
| Federal Securities Act | A law in 1933 that required
corporations to provide complete
accurate information on all stock
offerings. |
| Deficit Spending | A government’s spending of more
money than it receives in revenue
. |
| Agricultural Adjustment
Act (AAA) | A law in 1933 to raise crop prices by paying
farmers to leave a certain amount of their
land unplanted, thus lowering production |
| Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) | An agency established as part of the New
Deal, that put young unemployed men to
work building roads, developing parks,
planting trees and helping in erosion-control
and flood control projects. |
| Securities and
Exchange Commission | An agency created in 1934 that
monitors the stock market and enforces
laws regulating the sale of stocks and
bonds. |
| Works Progress
Administration | A agency established as apart of the Second
New Deal, that provided the unemployed
with jobs in construction, garment making,
teaching, the arts and other fields. |
| Wagner Act (NLRB) | A law– also known as the National
Labor Relations Act in 1935 to protect
workers’ rights after the Supreme Court
declared the National Industrial
Recovery Act unconstitutional |
| Frances Perkins | First female member of the US Cabinet
when she was appointed Secretary of
Labor. She played a key role in the
passage of a number of labor laws. |
| National Recovery Act | A Law in 1933 to established codes of
fair practices for industries and to
promote industrial growth. (NIRA |
| Direct Relief | The giving of money or food by the
government directly to needy people. |
| Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) | A federal corporation established in
1933 to construct dams and power
plants in the Tennessee Valley region
to generate electricity as well as to
prevent floods. |
| Welfare State | Government that assumes
responsibility for providing the welfare
of the poor, sick, elderly, and
unemployed |
| Mexican Repatriation
Act | Law that forced people of Mexican
descent to return to Mexico, which in
many cases was carried out without
due process |
| National Industrial
Recovery Act | A law enacted in 1933 to establish
codes of fair practice for industries
and to promote industrial growth |
