1933 – The New Deal

In 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt embarks on a massive economic recovery and reform program he had described as a “new deal” in a 1932 speech accepting the Democratic Party presidential nomination. The first phase (1933-1934) aims to counter the effects of the Great Depression through agricultural and business regulation, inflation controls, price stabilization and public works.

The federal government begins an unprecedented number of public building projects, including bridges, tunnels, dams and housing developments. It also awards grants to state and city governments for similar projects. (Library of Congress)