Question

The New Deal sought to help the United States out of the Great Depression by providing relief to people in need, by creating programs to help the nation recover from economic ruin, and provide a framework to reform the system to try to prevent another economic depression. Determine which of these goals each program had in mind.
Relief:
Recovery:
Reform:

Options:
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
National Recovery Act (NRA)
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Public Works Administration (PWA)
National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act)

Answer 1

Relief:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA) — direct employment for millions (immediate aid).
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) — paid jobs for young men doing conservation work (immediate relief).

Recovery:
- Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) — raise farm prices and restore agricultural purchasing power (economic recovery of the farm sector).
- National Recovery Act (NRA) — stimulate industrial production and revive business through codes of fair practice (primarily recovery).
- Public Works Administration (PWA) — large-scale public-construction contracts to stimulate demand and employment (economic recovery).

Reform:
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) — insure bank deposits and stabilize the banking system (structural reform).
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) — regulate securities markets to prevent fraud and abuses (market reform).
- National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) — protect workers' right to organize and bargain collectively (labor/structural reform).

Note: Several programs had overlapping aims (e.g., WPA and PWA provided jobs but PWA emphasized longer-term recovery; NRA had reforming elements), but above lists show the primary goal of each.