Industrial Workforce
Before the Great Depression
In the 1920's, the United States became the wealthiest country in the world. Unemployment was at an all time low due to new technology and the high demand for products. The car industry lead the economy with 2 million cars being built in 1920 to 4 million cars being built in 1926. By 1928, 20% of Americans had an automobile.[11] The need for factory workers were at an all time high and jobs were plentiful.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression affected the workforce in the worst way possible. A government official judged that the numbers out of work rose by 2.5 million within two weeks of the crash. The Committee on Economic Security later estimated that the number of unemployed jumped from 429,000 in October 1929 to 4,065,000 in January 1930. The number of unemployment rose steadily to 8 million in January 1931, and to 9 million in October.[12] The economic collapse forced millions of people to become unemployed. The buying and trading of goods rapidly fell, and banks and business closed. The general populace lived solely on the charity of the government, forming bread lines and shanty towns. The down turn needed to stimulated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s plan to bring the economy back on its feet: The New Deal.
The New Deal
The New Deal was meant to boost the economy steadily and change some of the policies that created the shaky economy in the first place. The workforce before the Great Depression was given a booming economy with many spending more then their incomes could support. This caused an initial boom in economy that would later topple it from under the feet of many. During the Depression, the workforce dropped and shanty towns became commonplace. The workforce was heavily affected by the failed economy. The government tried to ease the economy back up again, but in a way to avoid the causes that started the Depression in the first place. One of Presidents major legislations was the National Recovery Administration (NRA). It was one of the most controversial of the New Deal programs. The NRA had two goals: first, stabilize business with codes of "fair" competitive practice and, second, to generate more purchasing power by providing jobs, defining labor standards, and raising wages.[13] The Fair Labor Standards Act gave a minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards to help workers gain more power within the workplace. This established a standard among all businesses to stimulate more amongst the business workforce. The New Deal provided with more government services to stimulate the economy. The New Deal also provided greater privileges for the workforce. The Great Depression caused a great downfall among the workforce, but the aftermath gave a boost in the rights and practices of the workplace.
The cartoon was featured in the Washington Post in 1933. It portrays stocking hung by FDR each representing a program from his New Deal eagerly waiting to receive something in his stockings. This could be interpreted as FDR waiting for a sign of progress from any of his new programs. Uncle Sam represents the United States watching FDR place his "programs" on the mantle. This cartoon was created to show the uncertainty of many people in the United States about FDR and his programs. [14]
[11] "America in the 1920's." America in the 1920's. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/America_economy_1920s.htm>
[12] "1930-1939: The unemployed workers' movement." libcom.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://libcom.org/history/1930-1939-unemployed-workers-movement>
[13] "Teaching With Documents:FDR's Fireside Chat on the Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery Program." FDR's Fireside Chat on the Recovery Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-fireside/>
[14] "apus-b - depression-political cartoons."apus-b - depression-political cartoons. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://apus-b.wikispaces.com/depression-political+cartoons>
[12] "1930-1939: The unemployed workers' movement." libcom.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://libcom.org/history/1930-1939-unemployed-workers-movement>
[13] "Teaching With Documents:FDR's Fireside Chat on the Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery Program." FDR's Fireside Chat on the Recovery Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-fireside/>
[14] "apus-b - depression-political cartoons."apus-b - depression-political cartoons. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://apus-b.wikispaces.com/depression-political+cartoons>