The New Deal DBQ
-
Write a 4 paragraph essay...Thesis, 2 supporting arguments, and a conclusion. Each argument should be supported by outside evidence and 3 documents. Two of those documents need to be analyzed ....title, audience OR purpose OR perspective, and some outside evidence that supports the document. Mention 2 more documents...1 for each argument.
-
1) _____Write the Question 3pts
a) _____Name 3pts
b) _____Date 3pts
c) _____Grammar 3pts
d) _____800 - 1000 Words 3pts
2) _____ Thesis – 1st paragraph 3pts
a) _____ Supporting Argument #1 3pts
b) _____ Supporting Argument #2 3pts
3) _____Supporting Argument #1 – 2nd paragraph 3pts
a) _____ Background – discuss historical period documents and/or question is from. 3pts
b) _____Names OR Events OR Vocabulary AND why they are important. 3pts
c) _____Names OR Events OR Vocabulary AND why they are important. 3pts
d) _____Names OR Events OR Vocabulary AND why they are important. 3pts
e) _____ Document analysis – author’s purpose, point of view, or audience & quote. 3pts
f) _____ Document analysis – author’s purpose, point of view, or audience & quote. 3pts
g) _____ Document analysis – Discuss. 3pts
h) _____ Historical Accuracy (are the historical facts correct) 3pts
i) _____The Argument answers the question3pts3pts
4) _____ Supporting Argument #2 – 3rd paragraph 3pts
a) _____ Background – discuss historical period documents and/or question is from. 3pts
b) _____Names OR Events OR Vocabulary AND why they are important. 3pts
c) _____Names OR Events OR Vocabulary AND why they are important. 3pts
d) _____Names OR Events OR Vocabulary AND why they are important. 3pts
e) _____ Document analysis – author’s purpose, point of view, or audience & quote. 3pts
f) _____ Document analysis – author’s purpose, point of view, or audience & quote. 3pts
g) _____ Document analysis – Discuss. 3pts
h) _____Historical Accuracy (are the historical facts correct) 3pts
i) _____The Argument answers the question 3pts
5) _____ Contextualization (summarize the time period) – 4th paragraph 3pts
a) _____ What was occurring? 3pts
b) _____ Where were the event occurring at? 3pts
c) _____ Why were these events occurring? 3pts
d) _____ How were these events occurring? 3pts
e) _____ Who was involved and in what ways? 3pts
-
Date of writing: 10/24/2025
Time limit: 45 minutes
Preparation time: 4 days
Word count: 1008
Grade: 100%
Earlier Progressive ideals allowed New Deal reformers to build on conceptualizations of social justice, moral responsibility, and economic regulation by expanding federal intervention to address poverty and employment. The social aspect of the New Deal and the Progressive Era are related in that both time periods had an emphasis on establishing a sense of social obligation by owning the moral duty to aid the poor, ethical concerns regarding child labor, and a general hoep to aid vulnerable populations---and in terms of the New Deal, was influenced by previous Progressive thought. It was also economic aspects that related the New Deal and Progressive Era in the form of the challenging of corperate dominions, desire for federal leadership in times of economic hardship, and a rapid development of industry and infrastructure.
Past Progressive ideals impacted the incoming New Deal reforms socially by spreading a general sentiment of ethics and morals. During the Progressive era, rapid industrialization engendered concerns about the labor and working conditions---a worry that translated into the political reforms enacted by Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) following the Great Depression. During the Progressive Era, the idea that poverty was not an individual failing, but a systematic pitfall, was an ideal that later transformed into the founding of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), an organization focused on providing job opportunities to young men on various works projects. This is exemplified in Document 1, a primary source from the Progressive Era that expressed themes of moral responsibility as seen when the document states, "all social institutions are to be based on positive virtue, on morality, not on selfishness,..." Furthermore, there was a general concern for children in the work force as well as the wellbeing of laborers following the rapid industrialization that occurred during the Progressive Era, a thougt that---proceeding the Great Depresion--- resulted in the creation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a government action that established minimum wage, maximum working hours, and most importantly, considerations for children in the work force. These stated ideologies are almost rephrased in Document 2---a court case hearing that demonstrates child labor has become excessively instated---when the text states, "it is the evil of premature and excessive child labor." Additionally, the general sentiment of virtue and the promotion of social welfare also presented the more popular moral obligations of the population to aid vulnerable people---that everyone deserved the same oppotunities---which was expressed in the establishment of the Social Security Act (SSA), a federal action providing social insurance and protection, especially for those who needed it the most. Document 7 is an excerpt of the stated SSA. Created in 1935 and addressed to mange the problems of the broader social issues of America during the time, the SSA stated the importance of general welfare, national fairness, and compensation for unemployment, seeking to settle a holistic, equal view on social positioning.
New Deal reforms were not only influenced socially but also economically from passing Progressive ideals. The rise of monopolies and corperations witnessed during the Progressive Era revealed the dangers of unchecked capitalism, a philosophy that proceeded into the New Deal in the form of increased government intervention and aid. With a seeming revival of big business, there also existed a general idea to challenge the corperate dominion---translating over from the Progresive Era---which took shape in the form of the Wagner Act, a statement allowing workers to unionize and collectively bargain. Such revolting sentiments are echoed in Document 3---a chapter from Brandeis' book, Other People's Money, in which the author seeks to address the necessity of arguing with financial oligarchies to improve labor conditions---when it states, "so that practically no large enterprise can be undertaken successfully without their participation or approval." Over more, pushes in the workforce also led to the need for federal leadership in times of crisis, or more specifically, the want of government intervention in areas of economic harship. This ideal was presented through the founding of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), an organization that provided employment oppotunities for millions of people across numerous lines of work ranging from construction to arts. Actions conducted by the government, such as the creation of the WPA, is illustrated in Document 5---an excerpt of FDR's inaugural address in which he addresses Congress about the importance of federal aid in the face of danger---when the passage says, "I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis." Comparatively, rapid industrialization in the Progressive Era also facilitated later infrastructural development during the New Deal, as accentuated by the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a group dedicated toward expanding the valley's infrastructure and putting in place better physical spaces. Document 6 highlights such progress; Document 6 is an exerpt of the TVAAct in which seeked to improve navigability, protection, and safety of the area by expanding the place's infrastructure.
The entirety of the analysis between the impact of early Progressive ideologies on the movement of New Deal reforms cannot be understood without setting the events within the late 1800s and early 1900s. A continuity and transformation of said Progressive ideals occurred through the creation of countless government statements, actions, and organizations, such as the CCC, WPA, TVA, Wagner Act, FLSA, and SSA. It should be noted, though, that the majority of these establishments took place in the Northeastern sector of the United States, but similar to their effects, many also occured across the United States in many communities. The New Deals effects can largely be attributed to the influences of previous Progressive thought and response, as the two time periods' situations are inherently comparable and undeniably related; however, for the New Deal specifically, it's actions occurred due to the Great Depression. The said events took place in the form of government intervention, ideology spread, and general reform. Political figures, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, were invovled alongside other influential figures, such as Huey Long and Father Charles Coughlin.
