4.13%. That was the unemployment rate as of November 1941. It’s also just about the unemployment rate as of September 2024. In a pattern fascinatingly similar to all those decades ago, a spike in unemployment caused by some disastrous upset in the world markets was swiftly culled over the course of four years. However, the notable difference between FDR’s policy reforms to pull America from the Great Depression and the Biden Administration’s recovery from Covid, is that the line only went further down for one of them.
Though Biden is still in office for the next three months, the chances of him ever matching the Roosevelt record are slim. FDR had the benefit of the onset of the Second World War, which dumped unemployment all the way down to 0.24%. Still though, to match even the pre-war rate created by the energetic-bordering-dictatorial Roosevelt is an impressive feat. Unemployment serves as a small example of the capabilities of a single executive to reshape the economic, political, and cultural landscape of the United States. Though many Presidents have had similar lasting impact, none have had nearly as much lasting influence within the 21st Century as FDR. In a recent survey done by YouGov, 54% of the respondents stated that they’d be more or somewhat likely to vote for him if he were running in 2024.
Compellingly, the difference between potential Harris and Trump voters on a hypothetical Roosevelt campaign is surprisingly slim in the “somewhat likely” category, with only a three percent sway in popularity from Harris voters (31% to 28%).
The question of why Roosevelt maintains such a presence could probably be boiled down to a few things. He led the nation through most of the Second World War, pulled it from the dredges of economic ruin, and turned the government into a legislative tsunami within his first 100 days. However, the mass reforms brought about by Roosevelt’s New Deal still have lasting reverberations to this day.
In fact, several programs started under it are still in operation, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), alongside the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Food Stamps via SNAP, and Social Security Administration (SSA).
Even some of the banking policies held up for decades after its expected lifetime. The Glass-Steagall legislation of the Banking Act of 1933 provided the means for the separation of investment banking and commercial banking. However, as economic deregulation became increasingly popular, it would eventually be repealed via the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999. Nine years later, and some pondered if the repealing of this directly worsened the Great Recession of 2007
That is also ignoring the continuation of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) efforts on the state rather than national level (most notably in California, Nevada, Minnesota, Montana, Texas, Washington, and Vermont). Perhaps the most notable continuation of the CCC’s work can be found within the American Climate Corps (ACC) as started underneath the Biden Administration. These programs echo a reflection of something little explored in the 21st Century, that being domestic voluntary-government work programs.
This worked fantastically well, with some 8.5 million people working for the program from its foundation in 1935 to its effective dissolution in 1943. Workers built everything from roadways to entire airports under the WPA’s direction, all for a monthly wage of around $41 dollars (just over $950 adjusted for inflation). By providing a basic financial foundation, those working on WPA projects were able to care for their families, alongside slowly rebuilding the American economy from the dredges of the Depression.
In the 21st Century, such a program reads as heavily unnecessary. The economy is setting records again, unemployment reaching pre-covid lows, in general, people are finding jobs without the need of government meddling.
However, a program like the WPA provides an interesting solution to the homelessness crisis and effectively combat complaints that social welfare leads to people just collecting money and lazing about. By providing jobs rather than just handing out the assistance (ignoring cases where the person is unable to work), it allows an individual to effectively “bootstrap” themselves until they have the means to find employment with a company or other workplaces.
It also provides the nation with a solution to the growing infrastructure crisis, highlighted after the collapse of the Francis-Scott Key Bridge back in March. A program could create construction employment opportunities and at the same time use that work force in improving and combating the ongoing decay of existing American infrastructure.
The previously mentioned American Climate Corps proves there’s somewhat of a demand for these types of government led employment opportunities. When launched, only 2,000 jobs existed under the ACC’s umbrella. There were 42,000 interested applicants. Current plans call for 20,000 jobs to be made under the program’s direction.
It’s a distinctly New Deal type work-force, with even Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and the Associated Press calling it as such. And as aforementioned, people responded positively to it. The ACC offers living wages at a minimum of $15 an hour. Assuming one works 40 hours a week for a month, employment under it surpasses the original $950 monthly by another whopping $1,450 dollars. It’s a shining example of what a modern Rooseveltian type work program can be. All of this to say: If so many of FDR’s policies still hold the union together, maybe dipping into the inkwell he drew from might not be such a bad idea. After all, it’s the foundation he laid that helped guide us to where the United States is today, and to deny the possibility of re-striking the deal is to deny a more opportune tomorrow.
