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Period: to
New Deal
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Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)
The AAA was created by the Agricultural Adjustment Act in 1933. The goal of the AAA was to increase the price of agricultural products and eliminate the surpluses driving down the incomes of farmers. It accomplished this by giving payouts to reduce the amount of field farmers planted, as well as working with organizations to limit production. It was able to oversee a 50% increase in farmers' income by 1935. The act was ruled unconstitutional in 1936. -
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
The Tennessee Valley Authority Act signed the TVA into law in 1933. Its primary goal was to modernize the Tennessee Valley by providing electricity, infrastructure, and modern methods of farming to the region’s population. It helped combat poverty by offering employment in construction projects as well as improving the infrastructure and helping farmers get more out of their land. The TVA is still active today, although its role has changed over the years. -
Public Works Administration (PWA)
Created by the National Industrial Recovery Act, passed in June of 1933, the PWA was established with the goal of spending 6 billion dollars on employing workers to build public infrastructure. The administration contracted private businesses to build roads, airports, dams, and a variety of other public works in order to decrease unemployment and put more money into workers' pockets. The PWA lasted 11 years before it was disbanded in 1944. -
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
SEC VideoThe Securities Exchange Act of 1934 created the SEC to oversee regulations and enforce the laws governing investment and banking. The SEC's job was to prevent another stock market crash by keeping a close watch on Wall Street for any illegal activity or shady business practices that contributed to the crash of 1929. The SEC is still active today regulating and prosecuting financial investment related activities. -
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
The National Housing Act formed the FHA to attempt to increase the number of people who could afford a home during the Great Depression. The FHA helped achieve this goal by providing financing and loan options to families and citizens at discounted rates so that they could afford their mortgage payments. This increased the amount of homeowners in the country and provided stability for many families. The FHA still is active today and continues to provide opportunities for homeowners. -
National Youth Administration (NYA)
The NYA was founded by an executive order in 1935. Its goal was to provide employment opportunities for the young people of America, who were hit especially hard by the depression. By 1937 the Administration had provided over 400,000 jobs to young men and women looking for work. The program was eventually disbanded in 1943. -
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Social Security VideoThe Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935 in order to provide monthly payments of support to retired workers. The Act was designed to combat the Depression by providing a safety net for workers who were too advanced in age to work but did not have retirement money saved up. The Social Secutriy Administration is still providing fixed monthly payments today which have been adjusted due to inflation throughout the years, -
Fair Labor Standards Act
The FLSA was passed into law in 1938 to improve working conditions for the average citizen. The act established a minimum wage, a 40 hour work week, time and a half overtime pay, and tightened restrictions on child labor. The act was a relief for workers during the Depression because it drasctically improved conditions and pay for 700,000 workers and set standards and guidelines for the way companies could treat their workers. The FLSA is still enforced today and continues to be amended. -
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDC)
The FDC established the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help oversee the labeling, manufacturing, and safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics. This allowed the government to review products before they hit the market and determine their suitability for consumption. This combatted the Depression by insuring people had confidence in the products that they were buying and also created more jobs in the health sector. The FDA is still active in overseeing food and health products on the market.
