Contrary to Hoover's 'help oneself' policies that focused on the private sector, Roosevelt wanted to 'provide federal relief to as many people as soon as possible.' (Watkins, 124) The administration then proceeded to establish the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which would, doling out the $500 million appropriated it through grants and matching grants, help states establish their own relief projects. Next, delivering on a promise made in his nomination acceptance speech, FDR sought to pay the unemployed to work on conservation projects, establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided work for 250,000 young men, ages 18-25.Īlmost immediately, CCC work camps began to appear and by its end in 1941, over two million had worked on its projects. He insisted that a farm bill was an immediate necessity in order to 'restore vitality to the demoralized farmers, without whose purchasing power industrial surpluses could never be reduced.' (Biles, 36) Roosevelt sent Congress the farm relief bill on March 16, beginning his second week in office. Roosevelt outlines the New Deal and reassures the nationįor Roosevelt, the obvious place to start was agriculture. After being approached by several cabinet members regarding agriculture and the government economy, Roosevelt decided to address farming and government spending and attack prohibition.

But after observing the speed and ease with which the legislature acquiesced, the president decided to seize on the momentum provided by the banking victory and use it to drive through the next parts of his New Deal. Originally, Roosevelt had planned to pass the banking legislation and allow Congress to adjourn. The first called Congress to meet in a special session on March 9 the second declared a four-day bank holiday to stabilize the economy while the administration developed legislation to address the banking crisis. The next day, the president issued two proclamations, both of which he had brought with him to Washington. Almost immediately there was a change in atmosphere and attitude at the White House and in Washington-there seemed to be a sense of motion, energy and determination. That afternoon, in unprecedented fashion, his cabinet was sworn in, unceremoniously, at the White House and the Roosevelt Administration was underway. With the banks closed, Roosevelt took measures to restore the public's confidence in the financial systems when the banks reopened a week later, the panic was over.'This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.'

A national bank holiday: The day after his inauguration, FDR declared a 'bank holiday,' closing all banks in the country to prevent a collapse of the banking system.

Some of Roosevelt's most notable actions during the Hundred Days were:

Several of the programs created during those three and a half months are still around in the federal government today.

Between 8 March and 16 June, in what later became known as the 'First Hundred Days,' Congress followed Roosevelt's lead by passing an incredible fifteen separate bills which, together, formed the basis of the New Deal. His 'New Deal,' it turned out, involved regulation and reform of the banking system, massive government spending to 'prime the pump' by restarting the economy and putting people back to work, and the creation of a social services network to support those who had fallen on hard times. Once in office, FDR set to work immediately.

First hundred days