History HW - Write 2 page paper,answer 13 questions, create complex thesis per instructions

C

and other public buildings, and performed in theater troupes around the country. At the urging of Eleanor Roosevelt, the WPA made special efforts to help women, minori- ties, and young people.

Another program, the National Youth Administration (NYA), was created specif- ically to provide education, jobs, counseling, and recreation for young people. The NYA provided student aid to high school, college, and graduate students. In exchange, stu- dents worked in part-time positions at their schools. One participant later described her experience.

A PERSONAL VOICE HELEN FARMER “ I lugged . . . drafts and reams of paper home, night after night. . . . Sometimes I typed almost all night and had to deliver it to school the next morning. . . . This was a good program. It got necessary work done. It gave teenagers a chance to work for pay. Mine bought me clothes and shoes, school supplies, some movies and mad money. Candy bars, and big pickles out of a barrel. It gave my mother relief from my necessary demands for money.”

—quoted in The Great Depression

For graduates unable to find jobs, or youth who had dropped out of school, the NYA provided part-time jobs, such as working on highways, parks, and the grounds of public buildings.

Improving Labor and Other Reforms In a speech to Congress in January 1935, the president declared, “When a man is convalescing from an illness, wisdom dictates not only cure of the symptoms but also removal of their cause.” During the Second New Deal, Roosevelt, with the help of Congress, brought about important reforms in the areas of labor relations and economic security for retired workers. (See the chart on page 706.)

IMPROVING LABOR CONDITIONS In 1935, the Supreme Court declared the NIRA unconstitutional, citing that the federal government had violated legislative authority reserved for individual states. One of the first reforms of the Second New Deal was passage of the National Labor Relations Act. More commonly called the Wagner Act, after its sponsor, Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York, the act reestablished the NIRA provision of collective bargaining. The federal government again protected the right of workers to join unions and engage in collective bar- gaining with employers.

The Wagner Act also prohibited unfair labor practices such as threatening work- ers, firing union members, and interfering with union organizing. The act set up the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hear testimony about unfair practices and to hold elections to find out if workers wanted union representation.

In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which set maximum hours at 44 hours per week, decreasing to 40 hours after two years. It also set min- imum wages at 25 cents an hour, increasing to 40 cents an hour by 1945. In addi- tion, the act set rules for the employment of workers under 16 and banned haz- ardous work for those under 18.

The New Deal 705

B

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The NYA helped young people, such as this dental assistant (third from left), receive training and job opportunities.

MAIN IDEAMAIN IDEA

B Evaluating

Do you think work programs like the WPA were a valid use of federal money? Why or why not?

MAIN IDEAMAIN IDEA

C

Analyzing Issues

Why was the Wagner Act significant?