Sample Essay On US History

Guidelines: Before you begin writing the essay gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a 1-page thesis statement and outline for your essay. Your response needs to be relevant to the New Deal and the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This question is in two parts, the first part assesses your knowledge of the New Deal and second part calls you to make an analysis on how it affected government as we know it today.
In addition, you must use MLA formatting for your paper. The MLA formatting and your clarity of writing are very important. I want to assess your ability to write short, well-organized analytical essays with a thesis and topic sentences. Your ability to synthesize information is also being tested. I also need to see that you can format in-text citations and a Works Cited page. Finally, your grammar and punctuation skills must be at passing level for this course. The assignment should be free of any grammatical and spelling errors.
Length: Minimum 1500-2000 words plus a works cited page. The essay carries 50% of the overall class grade.
Works Cited: At least 5 citations in the body of your paper. You must quote the book The New Deal: A Modern History by Michael Hiltzik once. You can use a maximum of two internet sources, books and peer-reviewed journal articles. Limit the number of internet sources to three. Make use of library sources. Include parenthetical (in-text) citations and a separate Works Cited page
Scoring Guide and Criteria for Awarding Points
Sample Answer
The New Deal refers to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s domestic policies and programs designed to improve America’s economy recovery in the 1930s.It provided relief to the American bank sector through the bank holiday of 1933. It also distributed money to people who were in dire need of aid through the Federal Emergency Relief Association (FERA) of 1933. Other relief programs included the civil works administration program of giving money to states to build roads and schools. Besides relief the NEW Deal aided in the recovery of the economy through the abandonment of the gold standard and the creation of the Federal Securities Act (FSA) that deal with the stock market regulation. Other programs like the National Industrial Recovery Act were advanced. These programs strengthened labor organizations and advocated for fair wages and working conditions. There are also programs like the Federal Housing Act which sought to rebuild homes destroyed by the great depression. In addition to relief and recovery, the NEW Deal led to massive reform programs whose effects are still being felt today. An example of these reforms is the Social Security reform which created the social security system as we know it today.
Through government created programs and projects the New Deal managed to help the US economy recover. The New Deal changed the role of government from being a passive observer of social and economic programs to an active policy making position. The New Deal increased presidential powers. Under the leadership of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the executive became the center of government. The President proposed programs that Congress had to consider instead of the old tradition of waiting for congress to act.
Most of the social programs created under the New Deal still exist today. These include the Social Security system, government oversight of labor practices through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), government assistance to farmers and the protection of savings under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Today politicians still debate the role the government should play in America’s economic social and political life. This has its origins in the new deal. Conservatives believe the government is too big and it is intruding in American lives while liberals believe that big government is necessary for the provision of welfare and regulating the economy.