During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt radically changed the relation of the US government to the American people by promoting aid, relief, and government intervention in the economy.

Argumentative Essay

Essay Prompt

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt radically changed the relation of the US government to the American people by promoting aid, relief, and government intervention in the economy. These changes had enormous benefits but also came at a huge cost. In a detailed essay, describe the actions of FDR during the New Deal and argue its successes and/or failures. In your own educated and well-explained opinion, did the New Deal either go too far in providing aid to Americans or not far enough (make sure to use the provided sources for specifics)?

Requirements:

– 3 – 5 full pages (it cannot go over). The minimum and maximum are firm rules. A full page means a page filled to the end with writing.

– Double spaced, 11 or 12pt font, full citation of sources

–You may only use the sources I provided and the textbook. You must use all of sources at least once in your essay. You must cite these sources in your paper. No other sources are acceptable!

– Fully answer the question and support your argument with fact.

-You must use all of the supplied sources somewhere in your essay. If your argument goes against what the evidence in the source, use it as a counterpoint that you can contradict.

Sources:

– The only sources you may use for this assignment are the four listed below. You must cite the material you use and you must use all four at least once.

1) Class lecture

2) The textbook, Open Stax. Chapters 25 and 26 cover the Great Depression, FDR, and the New Deal. Still, you may use other sections from the textbook if they fit your essay.

3) This is an essay written by the historian Jim Powell for the Cato Institute. The Cato Institute is a largely libertarian think-tank that promotes limited government involvement (more laissez-faire). Keep that in mind while reading the article:

4) The “Every Man a King” and “Share our Wealth” speeches by Huey Long. At the time of these speeches, Long served as a Senator from Louisiana. He was often critical of FDR for not going far enough with the New Deal. As you will see after reading, Long’s plan for government aid was very radical.