Voters Unite over the New Deal and Roosevelt's Leadership
"With FDR at its head, the Democratic Party put together a formidable coalition (a temporary alliance of distinct groups for joint action) whose main components were lower-income groups in the great cities--African-Americans, union members, and ethnic and religious minorities, many from recent immigrant groups—and the traditional source of Democratic strength, 'the Solid South.' This 'New Deal coalition' . . . powered the Democratic Party for the next thirty years [1932-1968]."
-William Leuchtenburg, esteemed FDR historian
-William Leuchtenburg, esteemed FDR historian
White Southerners
"Southern farmers appreciated New Deal programs such as rural electrification and farm price supports . . . and the South remained loyal to Roosevelt and the Democrats . . ."
-Richard M. Skinner, author of "The New Deal and the Political Party System" "Roosevelt's done more about recovery than anyone else has." |
Minorities
Although the New Deal's treatment of African Americans wasn't perfect (see Criticism: Racial Discrimination), the New Deal Coalition gave them a voice.
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". . . Roosevelt's empathy and his relief programs and effort to give equal opportunities for all races made him popular with many African Americans . . ." |
". . . by 1935, the WPA was employing approximately 350,000 African Americans annually, about 15% of its total workforce . . . New Deal agencies . . . assisted more than 300,000 Africa American youth during the Depression . . ."
-David Woolner, Historian of the Roosevelt Institute
-David Woolner, Historian of the Roosevelt Institute
". . . as Mary McLeod Bethune once noted, the Roosevelt era represented 'the first time in their history' that African Americans felt that they could communicate their grievances to their government with the 'expectancy of sympathetic understanding and interpretation.'" |
Labor Unions
"Spurred on by the passage of President Roosevelt's National Labor Relations Act in 1935, millions of workers organized into unions in America's greatest industries and wage and child labor standards were established . . . Labor saw some of its greatest gains during the Depression . . . unions and workers became prime members of President Roosevelt's New Deal Coalition."
-The City University of New York
-The City University of New York