A New Deal for Americans
During 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) created the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) to send funds back to local relief agencies. He supported the passing of the Emergency Banking Act that allowed the government to inspect the economic health of banks. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was established to insure bank deposits of up to $5,000. Americans began to put money back into banks, and the banks, in turn, were able to make loans again.
FDR supported programs that put funds into economic and regional planning. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration tried to regulate crop prices by telling farmers how much should be produced and providing subsidies for them not to farm part of their land. Aid for farmers was increased when the Farm Services Administration (FSA) was established in 1937. The FSA loaned over $1 billion to farmers. The National Recovery Administration was formed to help businesses recover. It established minimum wages, maximum work weeks, and prices to help balance the economy.
President Roosevelt and FSA workers
The Tennessee Valley Authority was established to build dams in a ten-state region surrounding Tennessee. This was to supply power and encourage development in the region. His regional planning programs also helped Native Americans. The Indian Reorganization Act ended the sale of tribal lands and returned land to some Native American groups. Native Americans were extended work to build irrigation systems and develop Native-American-owned land.