The New Deal Essay

The period of the “Great Depression” was a very difficult period to Americans and the World as a whole. The problems did not stop there as they continued to haunt the people even after the great depression had ended. Americans became poorer; unemployment levels increased and the economy was at breaking point. The government and the people had to act fast to save the country’s political economic and social system which was at the verge of collapse. Several people came up with different views on how to tackle these problems among them, the President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt who on his inauguration day made a very inspiring speech urging Americans to come together to tackle these issues. The others who contributed include Robert H. Hoover and Senator Huey P. Long who contributed their views on how to come up with a new deal that would save all Americans from these troubles.
The President in his inauguration speech urged all the citizens of the U.S. to join the leadership in tackling the problems facing the country. The most serious of these problems was the fact that most citizens were unemployed while the few who were employed could no longer sustain themselves from these jobs. However, he believed that no problems were unsolvable and with common effort all would be conquered. He acknowledged the fact that these problems were curtailing the country’s development and thus came up with several solutions. The first was to increase employment especially by the government. He also suggested the government should come up better projects aimed at stimulating and reorganizing the use of our great natural resources. He called for efforts to increase values of agricultural products to uplift the farmers. He also called for strict supervision of the government as well as banking, credits and investment sectors.
Robert Hoover, on the other hand, called for the proper implementation of the Constitution and the Supreme Court. He also called for the adoption of a centralization of government and also the regimenting the people into a planned economy. He argued that there was a need for the people to come together and resist the greed for power that was on the rise. Robert Hoover believed that the only relief and hope of economic security for the people would only originate from the enterprise and inventiveness of free individuals. He declared that the only source of economic prosperity for Americans was freedom.
Senator Huey P. Long delivered his new deal speech through national radio on February 23, 1934. His speech dubbed “Share Our Wealth” was a plan proposed by him to help all Americans live better lives by spreading the county’s wealth to the people. Long believed this plan would help the majority of poor Americans live better lives and in the process improve the economy that was on the verge of collapse. He proposed that personal fortunes to be capped at $50 million each by applying a reorganized, progressive federal tax code. The revenue would then be shared with the people through government reimbursement and public facilities. He believed every man to be king and that the fate of the majority should not depend on a few members of the society.
Of all these suggestions on how to deal with the problems that were affecting the country at that time, the president’s plan was more practical and easier to implement than the other two. The president’s main issue was how to increase employment opportunities for Americans, and this would also lead to the implementation of projects meant to stimulate economic growth. By employing more people it meant that the poverty levels would reduce, and the government coming up with projects meant to improve the economy. By strictly supervising government operations, the country was making sure that taxpayer’s money was being used well while getting rid of corruption. Supervising banks and credit institutions would also help the common citizens against exploitation by these institutions. The President’s new deal was better off compared to the other two, and if it had been properly implemented then the country would have gone past these troubles.
Hoover and Longs contributions were also important as they were offering other ways of tackling the common problems at that time. They were all important plans that were able effectively to deal with the issues. However, some suggestions were not practicable and that is the reason the president’s new deal speech was the best. The solutions to the problems facing Americans at this time were only solvable if the government, the private sector and the citizens came together and forged a common front fighting them.