How did the aged, unions, and African Americans fare in the 1930s?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

These groups were all aided by the New Deal legislation of the 1930s.

The aged received help through the new Social Security system. The Social Security pension system allowed retirees to recoup payroll taxes and avoid a steady decline into poverty that working-class Americans often faced in their final years.

Unions were also helped by FDR's New Deal programs. The National Industrial Recovery Act (later declared unconstitutional) contained a concept that was known as the "Magna Carta" of organized labor. It stipulated that workers had the right to organize and bargain collectively. The subsequent Wagner Act (1935) gave workers the power to negotiate for higher wages. With such government protection, union membership grew well into the millions.

African Americans also benefited from New Deal legislation. New Deal programs offered African Americans more federal and state aid than they had received before. When black voters abandoned the Republicans for the Democratic New Deal coalition, the black vote became more important to the FDR administration. During FDR's second term, public works projects hired more black workers. FDR also appointed the first black federal judge and convened an unofficial Black Cabinet to investigate civil rights abuses and advise him on racial matters.