The situation that brought about the need for the FLSA was the Great Depression, and previously weak employment and business laws. In 1938, the Great Depression still lingered, even after the initial downfall of the market nine years earlier. American workers were susceptible to low wages and poor working conditions. To this day, businesses still seek ways to create profit at the expense of workers. According to the Federation of American Scientists, in 1938 one-third of the United States population was malnourished and did not have proper conditions for living (FAS, 2013, pg. 1). Even youth saw unfair treatment. Hugo Black, who was a senator, drafted the original FLSA in 1932 to propose positive changes to these situations.
