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The Fireside Chats of FDR

The Banking Holiday

In 1933 FDR proclaimed there would be a “banking holiday”. All banks were closed to prevent people from taking all their money out and causing the banks to fail and close their doors forever. This worried a lot of people, so he gave a radio broadcast to tell them why he did it and what they could expect in the next few days.

First of all let me state the simple fact that when you deposit money in a bank the bank does not put the money into a safe deposit vault. It invests your money in many different…kinds of loans. In other words, the bank puts your money to work to keep the wheels of industry and of agriculture turning around.

What, then, happened during the last few days of February and the first few days of March? …There was a general rush by a large portion of our population to turn bank deposits into currency or gold (get cash out of the bank). -- A rush so great that the soundest banks could not get enough currency to meet the demand.

The success of our whole great national program depends, of course, upon the cooperation of the public -- on its intelligent support and use of a reliable system.

We had a bad banking situation. Some of our bankers had shown themselves either incompetent or dishonest in their handling of the people's funds… It was the Government's job to straighten out this situation and do it as quickly as possible -- and the job is being performed.

It is your problem no less than it is mine. Together we cannot fail.

The New Deal

After he was elected, FDR enacted his series of programs to help America out of the Great Depression. This is part of the address that came eight weeks after his first radio address.

Tonight, eight weeks later, I come for the second time to give you my report.

Two months ago we were facing serious problems. The country was dying by inches. It was dying because trade and commerce had declined to dangerously low levels.

We are giving opportunity of employment to one-quarter of a million of the unemployed, especially the young men who have dependents, to go into the forestry and flood prevention work. This is a big task because it means feeding, clothing and caring for nearly twice as many men as we have in the regular army itself.

To you, the people of this country, all of us, the Members of the Congress and the members of this Administration owe a profound debt of gratitude (thanks). Throughout the depression you have been patient. In the present spirit of mutual (shared) confidence and mutual encouragement we go forward.

Drought Conditions

In 1936 FDR visited nine states hit by the Dust Bowl. This is part of the radio address he gave afterward.

I shall never forget the fields of wheat so blasted by heat that they cannot be harvested. I shall never forget field after field of corn stunted, earless and stripped of leaves, for what the sun left the grasshoppers took. I saw brown pastures which would not keep a cow on fifty acres.

Yet I would not have you think for a single minute that there is permanent disaster in these drought regions, or that the picture I saw meant depopulating these areas. No cracked earth, no blistering sun, no burning wind, no grasshoppers, are a permanent match for the indomitable American farmers and stockmen and their wives and children who have carried on through desperate days, and inspire us with their self-reliance, their tenacity and their courage. It was their fathers' task to make homes; it is their task to keep those homes; it is our task to help them with their fight.

All American workers… know that our needs are one in building an orderly… democracy in which all can… be secure

The Banking Holiday

1. Describe what happened during the bank crisis.

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2. What does he say at the end of the address to get the people to support him?

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The New Deal

1. Why is the task FDR speaks of so big?

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2. Who does the government have to thank?

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Drought Conditions

1. How does FDR describe the Great Plains?

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2. How is his closing remark (the last sentence here) like the last sentence of the other two radio addresses?

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YOUR FIRESIDE CHAT

Directions: Use the Outline to write your own fireside chat about ONE of the New Deal Programs.

|Introduction Statement: Grab the Attention of the audience with a strong statement about the program. |

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|Body |

|What are the strengths of the program? |

|What will it do well? What is unique about this new program? |

|What are the problems the Georgian’s face today? |

|How can the new program fix those problems? |

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|Conclusion |

|Finish off with a strong statement about how we can work together to improve conditions in GA and the US. |

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If necessary use the back of this sheet to complete your Fireside Chat.

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