Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address - Coursework Example

Franklin D. Roosevelt First Inaugural AddressIntroductionFranklin Delano Roosevelt’s first presidential inauguration as the 32nd president of the United States took place on March 4, 1933 (Allswang, p. 134). Subsequently taking the oath of office, Roosevelt progressed to deliver his inaugural address. In his inaugural address, Roosevelt pledged “a New Deal for the American people”. He appropriately concluded that "this nation asks for action and action now" (Allswang, p. 135). New Deal, in the U.S. history, is a word for the domestic reform program of the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

The New Deal is normally reflected to have comprised of two phases.In his inaugural address, Roosevelt directly blamed businessmen and bankers for being greedy and short-termed (Allswang, p. 89). Roosevelt believed that they were the villains that caused economic crunches and its moral dimensions.The first phase (1933-34) tried to deliver recuperation from the Great Depression. This was through programs that regulated business and agriculture, price stabilization, inflation and public works. Getting-together in (1933) in special session, the Congress established several emergency organizations, remarkably the National Recovery Administration (NRA), the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Public Works Administration and Civilian Conservation Corporation among others (Allswang, 1978).

The Congress also instituted farm relief, stiffened finance and banking regulations, and established the Tennessee Valley Authority. Afterwards, Democratic Congresses dedicated themselves to intensifying and modifying these laws. In 1934, Congress established the Federal Communications Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission and passed the National Housing Act, Trade Agreements Act and several currency acts business (Allswang, p. 17).The second phase of the New Deal (1935-41), continued with relief and recovery measures, providing for economic and social legislation to help the mass of working people.

In 1935, the social security system was set up. In the same year, the Work Projects Administration and National Youth Administration were established (Allswang, 1978). The Fair Labor Standards Act was approved in 1938. The Revenue Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937 provided techniques to democratize the federal tax structure. In 1935, a number of New Deal methods were overturned by the Supreme Court, however; the National Recovery Administration was struck down and the subsequent year the Agricultural Adjustment Administration was annulled.

The President fruitlessly sought to reorganize the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, other laws were replaced for legislation that had been affirmed unconstitutional (Allswang, 1978).The New Deal, which had received the certification of liberal, agrarian and labor groups, met with accruing criticism. The speediness of reform loosened after 1937, and there was rising Republican opposition to the high taxes, huge public spending and monopolism of power in the executive branch of government. In the Democratic Party there was resilient disapprobation from the "old guard" and from discontented Brain Trust members.

Regardless of disparagement from many angles, the preponderance of U.S. citizens valued Roosevelt, voting him again by a landslide in 1936 over the Republican nominee, Alfred M. Landon (Allswang, P. 74). ConclusionAs the panorama of war in Europe increased, the prominence of government moved to foreign affairs. Although not all programs were accomplished numerous reforms were continued by later governments and perpetually transformed the role of the government. There was diminutive retreat from reform, however, most of the New Deal legislation was still intact at the culmination of World War II and it remains as the basis for American social policy.

Work citedAllswang, John M. The New Deal and American Politics: A Study in Political Change. New York: Wiley, 1978. Print.