The Government's Response to the Great Depression
The government implemented a number of initiatives known as the New Deal in the 1930s in reaction to the Great Depression's effects on the nation. Adoption of such initiatives was required because the majority of Americans endured severe suffering. The elderly, children, the jobless, and farmers were given priority. Congress and the presidency executive orders collaborated to create policies that accelerated the return to normalcy of the recovery process. At the top, President Franklin D. Roosevelt held that post; hence, he had the role to ensure that the best strategy was adopted to alleviate the people from the economic turmoil. The three main pillars that Roosevelt used in the New Deal included the relief of the poor and those with no jobs, the recovery of the economy to sustainable levels, as well as the reform of the fiscal system in an attempt to prevent another depression from occurring. The New Deal enjoyed support from a fraction of the people while others criticized it significantly. It led to the expansion of freedom of the American citizens, while at the same time it led to the contraction of liberty.
Expansion of Freedom and Liberty
The New Deal was instrumental in ensuring that the workers enjoyed labor liberties in their workplaces. One of the major aspects evident on the concerns of labor related freedoms was the incorporation of labor unions as a requirement for employees. It was a crucial way of ensuring that there was the protection of the workers from any form of exploitation. It was a way of enhancing recovery through the strengthening of the American human resource since they were a building block to the growth of the economy. The National Labor Relations Act provided the guarantee that each employee was free and at liberty to join any labor union of their choice. The act aimed to enhance collective bargaining agreements that would continually ensure that there were limited labor disturbances by strikes and boycotts. Moreover, it aimed to create a deal on the wages that the employees would earn based on their job description. The labor freedom led to an increase in the number of people seeking membership in unions. Additionally, it saw the set for the maximum hours that the workers should work in a week as well as the minimum wage. There was also the restriction of child labor in all states. Labor liberty was a great success in ensuring the people had the rights to determine the working conditions and compensations (Eric Foner 732).
The unemployed and the poor citizens wanted to have economic freedom. It was one of the ways they would use to determine their financial security in the future in case such a depression occurred. The New Deal was effective in ensuring it provided the necessary economic liberty to the people. The development of the Social Security Act was a program that aimed to give the people old age insurance. It encompassed a variety of roles such as the retirement pensions, welfare benefits, and unemployment insurance (Foner 734). Though it was a conservative program as compared to that in European countries, it was vital in ensuring that the elderly, disabled, dependent children, and the unemployed became economically secure. Roosevelt argued that the social security kitty would be funded from the taxes to ensure that the contributors a legal right to collect the stipends. The Social Security Act helped in empowering the people economically, and they also felt secure despite similar challenges that in the future. Such liberty was essential for Roosevelt to win the trust of the people that he was focusing on ensuring economic security for all.
The Fair Labor Standards bill was also a key aspect of the New Deal that ensured increased freedom for the citizens. It was established to ban all the products produced through child labor from interstate trade. It was an efficient method of creating a society that did not take advantage of the children to create wealth. It was also aimed to enhance the human rights and liberties that would govern the labor relations in future. Moreover, it was to ensure payment for the workers working overtime. The bill has had an immense effect since then, and till to date, Americans have denounced any form of child labor. It is an aspect that has led to the country not importing products produced through child labor or unfavorable working conditions for the employees. The New Deal created a sense of liberty for all, irrespective of their job description.
Contraction of Freedom and Liberty
The primary example of the contraction of freedom in the New Deal was in the entitlement of welfare and labor relations. African-Americans continued to face discrimination based on their color in the allocation of jobs to the unemployed. The whites were given priority as the government gave jobs to the people as opposed to enhancing equality for all. It was one of the primary reasons that led to many blacks continuing relying on the relief offered by the government (Foner 721). In places that people fought for liberty for all, irrespective of race, they faced immense resistance. It was a great fail for Roosevelt since he had promised that he would ensure that there was limited discrimination in the sharing of the available opportunities. Moreover, the blacks did not get the chance to join unions and be protected under the collective bargaining agreement in their workplaces. It was an aspect that increased the hatred and animosity among members of the society since some treated as second class citizens. The New Deal worked to their disadvantage since there was no consideration of their rights and liberties.
The government was on the blink of contracting the liberty of the people since Roosevelt wanted to have more executive powers as opposed to the law that required the Congress to pass the laws. Despite the challenges the country was facing at the time, it was unnecessary to take the power of the people's voice away from them in an attempt to fix the system. It would be a way that would set precedence for lack of the regard for the law and most important taking the will of the people away from them. It was a way that the political liberty the people enjoyed became compromised. Additionally, the president changed the structure of the Supreme Court due to some political motivations. He wanted to have an influence in the way decisions concerning the programs he was establishing would be made. It was a way that would demean serving of justice on various issues affecting the people. Changing the structure of the court was not supposed to be the way of enforcing some of the programs Roosevelt believed would have a significant impact in addressing the depression. It only acted to reduce the liberty of the people.
Critics believed that the regulation of the banks as a reform under the New Deal was a disruption of a free market economy. It limited the people who engaged in private business as well as forcing the citizens to adopt a system that was marked by increased welfare. Individuals that aimed to invest in the banking sector had to follow the set regulations established by the government. Critics viewed it as reducing the economic freedom of companies in a capitalistic system. Moreover, the housing policy was a cause of limitation of freedom. The government developed a national standard for use by the individuals who wanted to construct homes. It was a way of taking the freedom of choice on how to manage one's property. The New Deal would have emphasized the need to own homes but at the same time ensure the people have the liberty to construct structures of their choice.
Conclusion
The New Deal had huge benefits as it led to the end of the economic depression facing the country. It played a role in ensuring the workers had the best working conditions as well as wages since they were unionized. Additionally, there was increased economic freedom to the unemployed and the less advantaged in the society. However, the New Deal had some shortcomings in limiting the freedoms of the people. The blacks faced discrimination and their liberty to join unions restrained. Moreover, the regulation of the banking and housing sectors led to a reduction of economic freedom in a free market.
Work Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! + Voices of Freedom. W W Norton & Co Inc, 2014.
