Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Life During The Great Depression

Life during the Great Depression was terribly hard for most Americans and the gap between those that “have” and those that “have-not”. Unemployment during 1932 rose from 5 million to a shocking 13 million by year end. The state of North Carolina was primarily rural, and therefore one that would feel the greatest sufferings. Franklin Delano Roosevelt would offer comfort by introducing what would be called “The New Deal”, in an effort to put people back to work and strengthen a very depressed nation. It was introduced in two phases and would touch and reach the entire country. Rutherford and surrounding North Carolina counties would be touched by the changes and offerings, but would they be the answer for the unemployed, starving and homeless, and would they be a benefit for the future growth of the great state. The emphasis would be on the farmers and the textile industry which had been their greatest markets. In September of 1936, President Roosevelt himself passed through Rutherford County with …show more content…
“It brought the most sweeping change of the Second New Deal legislation as it not only gave income to some of the most destitute in society but also forever changed the way Americans thought about work and retirement.” (SparkNotes, The New Deal: 1933-1934) This would impact Rutherford County residence, as well as our national as a whole. We would also see more assistance and relief for farmers which greatly impacted the Rutherford County farmers. In 1936, the Supreme Court declared the Agricultural Adjustment Administration unconstitutional, so it was reworked by the Democrats who proposed the passage of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. Farmers were still paid to not over produce crops and it would also pay them to either plant soil-enriching crops (instead of wheat) or not to grow any crops at