Impact of the New Deal and WW2

Didn't Impact:

• Only 330,000 Native Americans in a population of 122 million
• Only a third of land given to Native Americans under previous laws still belonged to them by the New Deal, much had been sold off under speculation of oil/gas on the reservations
• Remaining land was poor in quality 
• Poverty remained high on the reservations
• 75 of the 245 tribes rejected the provisions, seeing it as government inteference
• Little was done to aid their ecoomic plight 

Did Impact:

• 1934 Indian Reorganisation Act allowed native tribes to become self governing bodies with their own council, could have their own legal system
• Some were provided with help from agencies such as the CCC and PWA

• Number of migrant workers fell from 600,000 (1930) to 400,000 (1940) due to deportation 
• Wages dropped from 35 cents an hour (1928) to 14 cents an hour (1933)
• Lived in temporary shanty towns
• Public segregation prominent
• Excluded from the right to organise trade unions under section 7(a) of the NIRA 
• Excluded from the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, which created a minimum wage
• AAA reduced production, leading to unemployment among migrant workers
• Lack of legislation protecting them led to widespread exploitation

• Under the Federal Arts Project, 6,600 people were employed, creating over 15,000 pieces of art
• In 1935, Federal Writers' Project was established, led to the production of American State Guides and America Eats, both of whcih emphasised culture and developed tourism. 
• Federal Music Project (FMP) ran from 1935-39 and included musicians and teachers.
• FMP sponsored groups and appeared on NYC's local radio station, WYNC.
• FMP funded 7,332 compositions by 2,258 composers, and FMP-funded concerts were given to 148 million people.
• FMP supported under-represented groups e.g. black Americans, and the cheap, low cost concerts meant many could watch/participate

Women:

• Women could temporarily desert the expectation of just getting married/having kids
• 350,000 women served in armed forces, 100,000 in the Women's Army Corps alone
• Six million entered the workforce for the first time; 18 million women working by the end of the war
• Many worked secretarial jobs, but many came to work in male-dominated industries e.g. munitions (where 37,000 women died working)
• However, were still expected to uphold a family
• Wages were lower for women; $32.21 p/w for a woman, but $56.64 p/w for men
• Once the war had ended, they were expected to give up their rolw

Young people:

• 20 million became junior members of the American Red Cross, producing toys/furniture or putting enterainment programmes at military camps and worked in other industries
• Young Civil Defence volunteers watched the coast/for enemy aircraft
• US Civil Defence Organization had 10 million volunteers, mostly young people

• In 1940, GNP was $99.7 billion, by 1945 it was $211 billion
• By 1947, the US produced 57% of the world's steel and 62% of its oil
• Total cost of the war was $304 billion, war bonds sold at a rate of 2.9% after 10 years sold, $185 billion sold
• Increased government intervention, e.g. Office of Price Administration in 1942 to set price ceilings, War Production Boars (1942) took control of the domestic economy War Labor Board set wage increases for workers 
• Aircraft production was worth $45 billion, 125,000 aircraft built, 2 million employed in it
• Nuclear weapons cost $2 billion and employed 100,000 in research facilities 
• Prefabricated ships meant 5777 merchant ships built at a cost of $13 billion
• Developed the electronics, radio and weaponry industry; set a precedent for the military-industrial complex
• WW2 industries/army bases led to migration shifts of 15 million people; 700,000 left the Old South to cities in the north, but also to new industries in the Pacific Coast (California gained 2 million alone during the war)
• The number of people living in towns bigger than 25,000 people increased from 53 million (1940) to 63 million (1950).

• Propaganda was produced inorder to win popular uspport
• Office of War Information created in 1942, led to the promotion of 'Woman power' and warned against spies/gossiping and negatively portrayed Japanese/Germans
• Promoted the selling of war bonds