In one of Roosevelt's’ Fireside Chats, he talks on the radio about the economy saying that, “First, we are giving opportunity of employment to one-quarter of a million of the unemployed…” (Roosevelt). However, as he signs off the New Deal, the percentage increases and decreases over the years of the Great Depression. During the years of the First New Deal, the percentage of unemployment were even higher than when the Great Depression began. Gene Smiley writes in the Recent Unemployment Rate Estimates for the 1920’s and 1930’s that, “In the year on 1929, the unemployment percentage rate is 3.2. However, during the years of 1933-1935, the percentages are higher, at 20.6, 16.0, and 14.2” (Smiley). This shows that the unemployment level has actually been increasing over the years of the New Deal. Yet what’s worse is that they are estimates of percentages. The actual percent of people unemployed could be higher than the estimates recorded. One of the New Deal programs was the WPA, which was supposed to help the unemployed by giving jobs and decreasing unemployment. However, it does not seem as though it was a success since over eight million U.S.citizens did not have jobs, and to have the unemployment level by 1941 at 6% of 8 million helpless, jobless people is a huge amount (Smiley). Thus showing that although the New Deal and the WPA tried to help for relief of jobs and money for necessities,
In one of Roosevelt's’ Fireside Chats, he talks on the radio about the economy saying that, “First, we are giving opportunity of employment to one-quarter of a million of the unemployed…” (Roosevelt). However, as he signs off the New Deal, the percentage increases and decreases over the years of the Great Depression. During the years of the First New Deal, the percentage of unemployment were even higher than when the Great Depression began. Gene Smiley writes in the Recent Unemployment Rate Estimates for the 1920’s and 1930’s that, “In the year on 1929, the unemployment percentage rate is 3.2. However, during the years of 1933-1935, the percentages are higher, at 20.6, 16.0, and 14.2” (Smiley). This shows that the unemployment level has actually been increasing over the years of the New Deal. Yet what’s worse is that they are estimates of percentages. The actual percent of people unemployed could be higher than the estimates recorded. One of the New Deal programs was the WPA, which was supposed to help the unemployed by giving jobs and decreasing unemployment. However, it does not seem as though it was a success since over eight million U.S.citizens did not have jobs, and to have the unemployment level by 1941 at 6% of 8 million helpless, jobless people is a huge amount (Smiley). Thus showing that although the New Deal and the WPA tried to help for relief of jobs and money for necessities,