PWWI - The New Deal and Its Impact on Georgia (Lesson)

The New Deal and Its Impact on Georgia

Introduction

President Franklin D. Roosevelt focused on relief for the Great Depression with his plan known as the New Deal. The New Deal used government programs to help the nation recover from the Depression. Some of his most famous contributions are the Civilian Conservation Corps, Agricultural Adjustment Act, rural electrification projects, and Social Security. Through these programs the President focused on putting people back to work and provide economic relief from the daily struggles of the Great Depression era. 

 

The New Deal program brought forth by President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a nationwide impact. Four of the key programs had great impact in Georgia.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

The agency was focused on putting young men, ages 18-25, back to work by preserving the nation’s natural resources. The men would sign up for specific terms of service and lived in community camps. This would provide them housing and a living wage. The corp projects involved soil conservation, tree planting, and flood control. Some of the key projects in Georgia included planting trees in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Many parks were also improved such as the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and Cloudland State Park. They even began to construct the Appalachian hiking trail. By 1941 two million young men had worked for the CCC. 

 

Agricultural Adjustment Act

The government came up with a plan to help subsidize the farmers by encouraging them to grow other items rather than cotton. They set up a system that paid farmers to plant less cotton and focus on other crops such as tobacco and peanuts. Now that the product was regulated it would restrict the supply of the products and drive up the price so farmers could begin to make a profit again. 

 

Rural Electrification

Many people in Georgia during the 1930s did not have electricity. In 1935, 97 percent of Georgia farms did not have electricity. The Rural Electrification Administration offered low interest loans to build power lines in rural areas. By 1950 almost all the farms in Georgia had electricity. 

 

Social Security

The Social Security Act created insurance for elderly, unemployed, and disabled people through a contribution system made by employees and their employers. This program is still in use today.

 

Review

Review what you've learned by completing the activity below.

 

 

 

 

The New Deal had a lasting impact on Georgia. Governor Talmadge and many other Georgians were resistant to accepting the program within Georgia. Ultimately, the program put young men to work, helped control prices of crops, brought electricity to the rural areas of the state, and introduced a key program that is in existence today, Social Security. 

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