grt+dep+quotes

AVG – “In meeting the problems of this difficult period, we have witnessed a remarkable development of the sense of cooperation in the community. For the first time in the history of our major economic depressions there has been a notable absence of public disorders and industrial conflict.”

This quote was from President Herbert Hoover’s 1931 State of the Union Address. Hoover was President when the Great Depression began in 1929, but he remained optimistic that the nation would inevitably recover despite the widespread financial chaos and suffering. Hoover was also firmly committed to voluntary efforts (such as businesses’ promises to continue employment at decent wages) and regional projects to alleviate the Depression’s effects and resisted federal handouts to individuals harmed by the economic crisis.

Hoover’s address was delivered on December 8, 1931, near the worst of the Depression. Hoover’s business-orientated policies and calls for voluntary cooperation were viewed as ineffective by many Americans suffering from the Depression, so Hoover was defending his emphasis on cooperation. This speech was originally delivered to Congress and reflected Hoover’s emphasis on voluntary efforts rather than government handouts or massive public-works projects.

Hoover’s State of the Union Address was aimed at Congress, in which Democrats (who generally opposed Hoover’s lack of intervention) controlled the House of Representatives. Thus, Hoover’s emphasis on voluntary efforts was an attempt to convince these Democrats to support his refusal to provide handouts to individuals. Hoover also aimed his message at ordinary Americans who were increasingly alienated with his policies; by emphasizing the mood of cooperation, Hoover suggested that his ideas were the best way to end the Depression. However, because Hoover had incorrectly predicted economic growth before the Black Thursday and underestimated the magnitude of the Depression after it struck, most Americans probably ignored Hoover’s optimistic assumption that voluntary cooperation could restore economic prosperity.

The State of the Union Address is a requirement of the Constitution, so President Hoover was obliged to deliver to Congress a summary of what the government had done the previous year. However, it also gave Hoover an opportunity to voice his opinions about government policy, so he emphasized the possibilities of cooperation to restore the economy because he believed a voluntary approach was preferable to government intervention.

In short, Hoover wanted to persuade both Congress and the American people that cooperation still prevailed despite the economic downturn, indicating that his policies based on this unity were the best solution for economic recovery. However, the Depression continued to worsen, and Americans blaming Hoover for insensitivity to their plight disregarded his optimism. Hoover was not reelected in 1932, and his programs were replaced by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s activist New Deal.

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RIL: "We introduced Americans to America." - Roy Stryker Roy Stryker made this statement during the Great Depression while he was in charge of the historical section of the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information. He felt that America should be documented through photos so that Americans could know what was happening in the parts of America they did not see in their lives. He said this during the Great Depression after he had begun the photo documentary project, and so his words imply that he believed he had already shown America to Americans through the project as he spoke in past tense. People first encountered these words through listening to the radio interview during which he first said them. On a large scale, his words argue that people should be aware of what happens in their country. He said this during a time of struggle for many Americans; so much of what he introduced was the hardship of many Americans so that other Americans may act. He was also speaking on behalf of others who were working on the photo documentary project with him, particularly the photographers, and he recognized this by using “we” instead of ‘I.’ He said this for the radio broadcast, so he was speaking toward average Americans. He also was giving credit to himself and others in this statement for the work they had done which was why he insinuated that he and they had done an amazing job in that his statement was a large and positive generalization about their work. Those who worked with him, those depicted in the photos, and those who were interested in the photos would have paid attention to his words. The photographers who worked with him and his other coworkers would have reacted positively as they are portrayed in a positive light, and people who had been interested in the photos could have become more interested. This statement was produced to credit the photo documentary project and to explain what he felt they had done; which was why there was a hint of a positive bias in his words. He said this then because the project had already went underway and produced some results. Through this statement, Stryker argued that the work he and his coworkers had completed was worthwhile and important since it depicted America so that Americans could know what was happening in America. His words convey that citizens of a country should know what happens in their country. His main point was that the photo documentary project he was part of helped inform Americans about America. This was an important quote since it was true in that it, albeit in an positively exaggerated way, summarized the work of the project. The social implications are that Americans should be informed about what happens in the parts of America that they do not face in their lives. This statement could have motivated people to look into the project more.

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CJD- “But while they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving. We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings.” Franklin D. Roosevelt said this during his nomination address at the 1932 Democratic National Convention, speaking to his supporters and detractors of the current administration. Herbert Hoover’s republican dealing with the Great Depression was not sufficient, according to Roosevelt, and he preached this as part of his presidential campaign. Since 1929, Hoover had adhered to accepted standards by incorporating supply-side economics to deal with the crisis. Clearly this was not working, and as FDR said, Americans were suffering in great numbers. Roosevelt’s point was that orthodox methods of relief were not going to heal such a large wound to the United States economy. The federal government had to take aggressive and creative action in order to recover from the Depression and get Americans back on their feet. Once in office, Roosevelt quickly went to work and instituted a myriad of plans to help the US economy on many levels. Starting in 1933, dozens of ideas to stimulate monetary growth were brought to life as part of the New Deal. FDR took many risks during his presidency to aid Americans; some of his plans failed miserably but others were exceptionally successful. Other plans were never passed by Congress, or required revision. Added in 1933, the Agricultural Adjustment Act was declared unconstitutional and replaced in 1938, and the National Industrial Recovery Act was nullified in 1935. Ironically, FDR’s quote was reflected by Congress during his own presidency quite frequently. In 1937, the Judiciary Reorganization Bill was shot down, seen by Congress as an attempt to overpower Roosevelt’s office. Despite many unconstitutional ventures, FDR was able to maintain a productive period of leadership, which the legislative branch managed to share. Some traditions could not be broken, but Roosevelt proved that economic laws were not completely set in stone during his historically long tenure as president.

MRL -

//"If, with all the advantages I've had, I can't make a living, I'm just no good, I guess."[|38]// – An unemployed Texas schoolteacher, 1933

This quote was recorded by journalist Lorena Hickok who was commisioned by Federal Relief Administrator of the Roosevelt Administration, Harry Lloyd Hopkins, to travel around the United States to report of the living conditions of Americans. Along with the extraordinary levels of poverty she found, Hickok also discovered yet another negative effect of the Great Depression: the loss of hope. The "I'm just no good" quote reveals the fact that many young Americans felt like failures and lost hope because they had been given education and were supposed to be successful, yet they found themselves unemployed and destitute during the 1930s. Although many Americans realized the effects of the Great Depression were not caused by personal inadequacies an equal if not great number felt they had somehow failed, particulary young Americans. When Hopkins recieved Hickok's reports and read this quote to Roosevelt it is said he remarked, "Three or four million heads of households don't turn into tramps and cheats overnight, nor do they lose the habits and standards of a lifetime... They don't drink any more than the rest of us, they don't lie any more, they're no lazier than the rest of us.... An eighth or a tenth of the earning population does not change its character which has been generations in the molding, or, if such a change actually occurs, we can scarcely charge it up to personal sin." The realization that many are taking personal blame for their poor living conditions led Roosevelt to realize that America not only needs to restore its economy, but also its hope. Roosevelt eventually gave his first fireside chat later in the year 1933. His fireside chats are accredited to have instilled the beginning of newfound hope within Americans, which resulted in the invariable support for Roosevelt by the public.

J.R.C.-"In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope—nothing of man." – Former President Calvin Coolidge, 1932

This statement, made by former President Calvin Coolidge, epitomized the perspective on life during the Great Depression. America had experienced many economic standstills before, but none had caused as much destruction as the Great Depression. In previous recessions and depressions, America always had a foundation on which it could stand, but the effects of the Depression eradicated that foundation. The stock market crash on Black Tuesday left the majority of America squandering for any money they had to their names, as America as a whole was plunged unexpectedly into a massive Depression. Andrew Carnegie, William C. Durant, and the Rockefeller family, the wealthiest Americans of the time, all purchased bountiful amounts of stock to show their confidence in the market, but not even men of their standards could influence the American population to jumpstart the stock market. Upon the pop of the economic bubble, many Americans found that life had absolutely nothing to live for, ultimately taking their own lives. With all of these factors combining to create one whole feeling of hopelessness, the population of the US saw absolutely no ground to stand upon in regard to finding hope. Never before had the population of America lost all sense of foundational security, but upon the Depression, Americans, including former president Calvin Coolidge, found that all hope was lost.

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself" -Franklin Delano Roosevelt

AJJ- This Franklin Delano Roosevelt quote was his most famous. It came from his inaugural address in 1933. Roosevelt was new as a president to the American people and used this inaugural address to inspire people and to tell them that they can be hopeful about his presidency. Unsure of what to expect from Roosevelt, the American people were all nervously listening to this speech. Part of inspiring hope reducing eliminating fear. By saying “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” Roosevelt means that the Americans should not fear any longer about the problems of the Depression and the Democrats would not use the supply side theories that the Republicans used. By assuring the American people that they have nothing to worry about, Roosevelt builds lofty expectations about his presidency. He asserts the point that fear is all in the one’s mind and that there is nothing tangible that the American people should fear despite their current economic status.

SW- “In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory” Franklin Delano Roosevelt said “In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory”. It was said in his First Inaugural Address. The public mood during the time of the Great Depression was very glum due to the calamity of the Great Depression and the anger the people felt toward Hoover because they thought that he had not done anything to help them. Roosevelt directed this quote toward the public to convince them that they would make it out of the Great Depression. He knew that there was a Depression and the people knew that too. He did not want to cover up the fact; instead he wanted to face it. He tells them that the truth is needed right now and that he will fight vigorously in order to end the Great Depression. Roosevelt also asks the people to support him and to support his relief, recovery, and reform. FDR knew the situation that the United States had been in while Hoover was in office. Roosevelt planned on turning the reform efforts around so that they would actually start helping those in need. Due to the lack of trust between the people and Herbert Hoover, Roosevelt had to try hard in order to build trust between himself and the people. As he says in the quote, the only way to get out of the Depression is to combine his efforts and the efforts of the people. This quote, being in his first speech as president, shows the way Roosevelt feels about the issues facing the nation and how he plans to solve them. From the start he tells the people that he needs their support in order to succeed. It is probably due to his honesty right from the start, that he gains so much support and is able to do so much to end the Depression.

VB- "How many men ever went to a barbecue and would let one man take off the table what's intended for nine-tenths of the people to eat? The only way you'll ever be able to feed the balance of the people is to make that man come back and bring back some of that grub that he ain't got no business with!"

This quote was given by Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long in 1934. Long was the Senator during this time and had established the “Share Our Wealth” program in 1934. Long firmly believed that the wealth held in the country needed to be collected through net assets taxes and needed to be distributed to those afflicted by poverty. Long aspired to run for president in 1940, believing that Franklin D. Roosevelt would retire that year however he was assassinated. An excerpt from Long’s speech clearly identifies that he is talking to potential voters. It was given while the first New Deal was in place. Long’s proposal looked attractive to those who had not been subsidized by any of the New Deal’s policies. The colloquial language utilized by Long display his ability to convey his message affectively. The use of dinner is symbolic to the Great Depression since only the wealthy could afford to place food on their tables while many had to stand in breadlines. When listeners heard this speech, they probably developed mixed feelings, FDR was working hard and doing something to help the afflicted, however they questioned the efficiency in these policies. Long had originally supported FDR’s programs however he believed that FDR was not going far enough. Resultantly, Long became opposed to FDR’s policies and therefore began to voice his own beliefs and opinions. Long had hoped to gain momentum and popularity so he could challenge the ideas of the President. Long places emphasis on forcing the wealthy to make repayments to show the American people that is still possible to give everyone the same opportunity and prosperity. This voluntary speech delivered by Long was a personal opportunity to spread awareness about his newly developed program and give reasoning as to why it should be implemented nationwide Long continued to advocate his program until his death in 1935. Even if Long had been elected, he would not have been able to enforce his policy because the power of taxation belongs to the House of Representatives.

LM - "What do the people of America want more than anything else? Work and security... They are the spirirual values, the true goal toward which our efforts of reconstruction should lead," FDR.

Speaking before the 1932 democratic national convention just after recieving the presidential nomnation, FDR brought a new approach to the governments' role in social welfare. In an era of gross unemloyment, rife poverty, failing economic orthodoxes, American voters wanted to discover a leader that who would spearhead these two great national dilemas. Roosevelt refers to work and job security as "spiritual values" to emphasize his understanding that these principles profoundly constructed national success. Simply, Roosevelt's ideas expressed above were what the Democratic Party needed to dominate the sagging Republican institution. The Democrats devisively used Roosevelt's enthusiasm to win the 1932 election, but later FDR's vigor transcended strategic political significance, for it was adopted wholistically by Americans as a ladder out of their economic sinkhole. Roosevelt's unprecedented perception of political responsibility set his main presidential platform as American economic and governmental redemption from the Depression. In appealing simplicity, Roosevelt derived from worker security and opportunity his New Deal mechanism of reflief, recovery and reform. These three issues pervaded his domestic policy and combined to increase American trust in the US economy - trust being a key building block for re-investment and reconstruction - and eventually led to what many recognize as the end of the Great Depression.

Ideological dedication to assuring Americans had work added momentum to FDR's rigorous pursuit of executive created reform measures. Roosevelt saw the government as the responsible parent, spitirually obligated to foster and preserve its children's welfare; ensuring national economic functioning FDR percieved was an innate task of the executive and legilative branches. Although slowed by the Supreme Court and opposed by certain more radical factions such as Coughlin's radicals, FDR remained steadfast in work and security relief largely because his personal belief in reform goaded him toward reform audacity. FDR attacked unemployment and job security, eventually imparting Americans with more confidence in US economic systems - such as the banking industry. Specifically, FDR acted as a banking savior to increase Americans' perception of fiscal security and provoke business investment. Creating jobs through CCC, WPA, PWA, and others was his mechanism for giving Americans work. Roosevelt's ideas of assuring work and certainty thereof met with resounding embrace during the campaign; policies built aroud labor relief and job security framwork that elected FDR to both his first and second terms. Condemning more conservative policies of Hoover, FDR wrought a more vigorous governmental role in recovery.

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AMB--- "But while they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving. We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings."

This quote was spoken by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his Nomination Address in 1932. This was a radio address to the Democratic National Convention accepting his nomination as President. In this address, Roosevelt highlighted what he found to have been the causes of the Great Depression, and spoke about his plans to right the situation. The material was produced over two years after the initial stock market crash in 1929. By this time, millions of people had lost their jobs, their homes, and struggled to pull together money for food. It was made over a radio broadcast, and reflects not only the depression, but also the changing economic theory of the time. In his speech, Roosevelt compared the Republican’s adherence to Adam Smith’s economic theory, which appeared to be either favoring big business or simply doing nothing, to his own ideas of action, which were based off the new economic theory of John Maynard Keynes. There was much debate between politicians over the accuracy of the two theories, but the Hoover administration, in the eyes of the majority of the nation, was not doing anything to relieve the financial crisis. This statement by Roosevelt appears to show disdain for such focus on theory and implies that through direct action, the economy could be manipulated to improve. This statement was spoken to other members of the Democratic Party upon Roosevelt’s nomination. By outlining his plan for if he won the election, he ensured a strong base of support from his own party. On a more universal scale, these were people who had been affected by the economic crash (though likely not as badly as the majority of Americans), and his plan of putting people back to work and stimulating the economy would have been appealing to them. The idea, as implied in the above statement, that it was in the government’s power to improve the economy, would have assured them that they made a good choice nominating to take office. If this speech had been addressed not only to the Democratic Party, but to the nation as a whole, many would have been equally impressed by his ideas. However, some Republicans would have likely been offended by his attacks on the Republican Party and the Hoover Administration, but many would have also seen his points as valid. In the eyes of most common Americans, Hoover was doing nothing to help them. The statement that economic laws are made by people and not nature would have led some to support Roosevelt, who planned to fix the economy. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> This speech was written for Roosevelt to accept the presidential nomination. It was important for him to have assured the Democratic Party that they had made the right choice in nominating him for the ballot. The speech, as reflected by the above statement, was also made to convince the audience that if elected, he would take action and attempt to get the US back on its feet economically. This material is important because it outlines a definite plan of action, and would have ensured strong support from Roosevelt’s own party.