25 Defining Days: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Part One

Welcome to Part Thirty. It’s time for the first part of the President who introduced the New Deal, who also couldn’t walk. Let’s dive into part one of the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt: 

First inauguration- 4th March 1933

Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for the first time on this day. It was held on the East Portico of the Capitol, and Roosevelt was sworn in by Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. The day was mostly cloudy with peaks of sun, and 6C/42F. Roosevelt’s inaugural speech was 1,880 words long and included the famous line ‘So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.’ This was the last inauguration to happen on the 4th March, the next would start the tradition of it happening on the 20th January. 

First Fireside Chat- 12th March 1933

Roosevelt delivered his first fireside chat on this day. He was a champion of radio and believed that the president speaking through it would be an excellent way of reaching the populace. This first fireside chat was on the banking crisis.

Signs Unemployment Relief Act- 31st March 1933

Roosevelt signed the Unemployment Relief Act on this day. One of the first acts of the New Deal, it provided housing, meals and care for those working on public works projects. There was also a non-discrimination clause. 

Signs Executive Order 6101&6101- 5th April 1933

Roosevelt signed the Executive Orders 6101 and 6102 on this day. 6101 created the Civilian Conservation Corps, a government work relief programme for young men. 6102 removed gold from circulation, and took all gold from private citizens, though they were compensated. It remains a deeply controversial measure, with critics calling it government overreach. 

Signs Federal Emergency Relief Act- 12th May 1933

Roosevelt signed the Federal Emergency Relief Act on this day. This created more federal relief programmes, as well as grants to local and state governments. 

Signs Tennessee Valley Authority Act- 18th May 1933

Roosevelt signed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act on this day. It established the Tennessee Valley Authority under federal control, aiming for economic help in a region that had been decimated by the Great Depression. They aimed to construct dams, reservoirs and power lines among other things. 

Signs a number of acts- 16th June 1933

Roosevelt signed a number of acts on this day. The last of his First Hundred Days, Roosevelt signed the Banking Act of 1933 and the Farm Credit Act among other things. He also issued a number of executive orders. 

21st Amendment is ratified- 5th December 1933

The 21st Amendment was ratified on this day. It repealed the 18th Amendment, and with it, prohibition. America could legally drink again.  

Signs the Communication Act of 1934- 19th June 1934

Roosevelt signed the Communication Act of 1934 on this day. It regulated interstate communication and created the Federal Communications Commission, a group that would oversee and regulate the industry. 

Signs Emergency Relief Appropriations Act- 8th April 1935

Roosevelt signed the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act on this day. This gave $5BN towards the New Deal, including creating the Works Progress Administration.  

Signs the Social Security Act- 14th August 1935

Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on this day. It created Social Security, essentially a pension system for the old in the United States. Unemployment insurance was also added. Social Security still exists today, along with the Medicare and Medicaid expansion, but is not without controversy.

Assassination of Huey P. Long- 9th September 1935

Senator and former governor Huey P. Long of Louisiana was assassinated on this day. Long was both a popular and controversial politician, a left-wing populist who didn’t think that the New Deal went far enough. He had even managed to avoid impeachment and was essentially in control of Louisiana politics. Long was assassinated by a doctor named Carl Weiss, whose father-in-law the senator had just gerrymandered. Weiss was immediately shot and killed by Long’s bodyguards. Long was taken to surgery but died. His widow Rose took over his Senate seat, his brother Earl became governor and his son Russell would later become one of the most powerful men in the Senate. Long’s ideas formed part of the New Deal. 

Wins reelection- 3rd November 1936

Roosevelt won reelection on this day. The Republican ticket was made up of Alf Landon and Frank Knox. This was one of the largest landslides in American history, with Roosevelt winning 60.8% of the popular vote and 98.49% of the Electoral College. The only two states he didn’t win were Vermont and Maine. Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania flipped from Republican to Democrat. 

Second inauguration- 20th January 1937

Roosevelt was sworn in for the second time on this day, the first time it happened on the 20th January. He was once again sworn in by Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes on the East Portico of the Capitol. The weather was famously extremely wet, with the ceremony being pushed back. This didn’t help, as it still rained, and sleet fell in the morning. It was 33F/1C at noon. His inaugural speech clocked in at 1,808 words and focused on the work that needed to be done: ‘But here is the challenge to our democracy: In this nation I see tens of millions of its citizens–a substantial part of its whole population–who at this very moment are denied the greater part of what the very lowest standards of today call the necessities of life.’

Recommends enlarging the Supreme Court- 5th February 1937

Roosevelt recommended enlarging the Supreme Court on this day. The plan was to add one new justice for each one over the age of seventy, with a maximum of six. This would take the court to fifteen. This attempt at court packing was extremely unpopular, even among supporters, and never got off the crowd. It’s a popular criticism of Roosevelt to this day. 

Signs Housing Act of 1937- 1st September 1937

Roosevelt signed the Housing Act of 1937 on this day. It created the Housing Authority and provided financial assistance to create and improve public housing. 

Creation of the House Un-American Activities Committee- 26th May 1938

The House Un-American Activities Committee was created by the House of Representatives on this day. It was created to investigate non-loyal citizens and organisations, mainly those suspected of communist sympathies. The Committee would become more prominent in the 1940s and 50s under Senator Joseph McCarthy. 

Signs the Fair Labor Standards Act- 25th June 1938

Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act on this day. It created a minimum wage, overtime for over forty hours and banned child labour. 

Munich Agreement- 29th September 1938

The Munich Agreement happened on this day. Worked out between Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, it permitted the annexation of the Czechoslovakia Sudetenland and created a commission to look at other cases. The Czechoslovakian government was not consulted and were told that if they wanted to fight it, it would be alone. They unhappily accepted. The hope was that now Hitler had a bit of what he wanted, he would slow down or stop his plans. The next day, British PM Neville Chamberlain waved the white paper and declared ‘peace in our time.’ 

Germany invades Czechoslovakia- 15th March 1939

Germany invaded Czechoslovakia on this day. It was an easy victory, with resistance melting away and the Czechoslovakian president, Emil Hácha, was forced into signing away independence. This was just the first step for Hitler. 

Signs the Hatch Act- 2nd August 1939

Roosevelt signed the Hatch Act on this day. It prohibited civil servants in the federal government from engaging in any political activity. A number of violations have occurred since. 

Molotov-Ribbentrop Act is signed- 23rd August 1939

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Act, also known as the Non-Aggression Pact, was signed on this day. Signed by the Soviets and the Nazis, it affirmed that neither side would help any enemy of the other country. The name comes from their respective foreign ministers, Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim Von Ribbentrop. Certain states were also partitioned between them. This part was hidden for years. The act did not work, as evidenced by a certain event a week later. 

WWII Begins- 1st September 1939

World War II began on this day. German forces invaded Poland from nearly all sides. Over the next six years, millions of men, women and children would be killed, and the world would never be the same. 

Proclamation 2374- 4th November 1939

Roosevelt announced Proclamation 2374 on this day. It amended the Neutrality Act, allowing America to sell arms to Britain and France.  

Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister- 10th May 1940

Winston Churchill became Prime Minister on this day. He would become one of the most influential British PMs and leaders of all time, helping to lead the Allied forces to victory. Churchill and Roosevelt enjoyed a close personal and political relationship. The Prime Minister was also influential in bringing America into the war as early as possible. 

That’s it for Part 1 of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Tune in next week for Part 2, in which we’ll see him deal with entry to WW2, two more elections and trips abroad.