Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Explained — Fexingo History

FDR's Fight to Pack the Supreme Court

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most controversial episodes of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency: the 1937 Judicial Procedures Reform Bill, better known as the 'court-packing' plan. Facing a conservative Supreme Court that had struck down key New Deal legislation like the NRA and AAA, Roosevelt proposed adding up to six new justices to the bench. Lucas explains the political calculus behind the plan, the furious backlash from both parties, the role of Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, and the 'switch in time that saved nine'—the pivotal decision in West Coast Hotel v. Parrish that upheld Washington state's minimum wage law. They also discuss the long-term legacy of the fight, including the Court's subsequent deference to economic regulation. With fresh details on key figures like Senator Burton Wheeler and Justice Owen Roberts, this episode offers a nuanced look at a defining moment in American constitutional history. #FDR #NewDeal #SupremeCourt #CourtPacking #JudicialProceduresReformBill #1937 #CharlesEvansHughes #OwenRoberts #WestCoastHotelvParrish #BurtonWheeler #FexingoHistory #History #NorthAmerica #USPolitics #ConstitutionalCrisis #FDRsCourtPacking #SwitchInTime #NineOldMen Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Fight Against Hunger

In the winter of 1933, one in four American families had no income at all. Harry Hopkins, a former social worker with a sharp tongue and a relentless work ethic, was put in charge of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration — FERA — the first large-scale federal attempt to put cash directly into the hands of the unemployed. This episode follows Hopkins’s furious five-hundred-million-dollar spending spree, his battles with local politicians who tried to use relief money for patronage, and the creation of the Civil Works Administration, which put four million people on the federal payroll in a matter of weeks. We also explore the forgotten controversy over 'work relief' versus 'the dole', the fight with Louisiana senator Huey Long over control of relief funds, and how FERA's experiments with direct aid laid the groundwork for the Works Progress Administration. Along the way, we meet figures like Lorena Hickok, the journalist who traveled the country as Hopkins's eyes and ears, and we uncover the quiet radicalism of a program that insisted the unemployed had a right to work — not just charity. #NewDeal #FDR #HarryHopkins #FERA #CivilWorksAdministration #GreatDepression #WorkRelief #HueyLong #LorenaHickok #Unemployment #History #FexingoHistory #NorthAmerica #1930s #FederalRelief #Hopkins #PublicWorks #DepressionEra Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's Federal Housing Administration and the Making of Suburbia

In this episode of FDR and the New Deal Explained, Lucas and Luna explore the creation of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and its transformative — and controversial — impact on American life. They trace the housing crisis of the Great Depression, when half of all home mortgages were in default and families were losing their homes by the thousands. Lucas explains how the FHA, created by the National Housing Act of 1934, introduced long-term amortized mortgages with low down payments, making homeownership accessible to millions for the first time. But he also dives into the darker side: redlining, racial covenants, and how the FHA systematically denied loans to Black families and other minorities, reshaping cities and suburbs along racial lines. The conversation covers key figures like FDR's housing czar Marriner Eccles and NAACP leader Walter White, and landmark events like the construction of Levittown, the prototypical postwar suburb built with FHA backing. Lucas and Luna also discuss the long-term legacy of the FHA — from the 1968 Fair Housing Act to today's persistent wealth gap. This is an unflinching look at how a well-intentioned government program built the American Dream for some and excluded others, with consequences we still live with. #FDR #NewDeal #FHA #FederalHousingAdministration #NationalHousingAct #Redlining #HousingDiscrimination #Suburbia #Levittown #MarrinerEccles #WalterWhite #GreatDepression #FairHousingAct #RacialWealthGap #HomeOwnership #AmericanHistory #NorthAmerica #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's Gold Reserve Act and the Battle Over Gold

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took the United States off the gold standard and signed the Gold Reserve Act, effectively nationalizing gold and devaluing the dollar. This episode of the Fexingo History podcast explores the high-stakes fight between FDR and conservative 'gold bugs' in Congress and the Supreme Court, the role of key figures like Lewis Douglas and James Warburg, and the legal battles in the Gold Clause Cases that tested the New Deal's constitutional limits. We also look at how the devaluation aimed to combat deflation and stimulate exports during the Great Depression. Join Lucas and Luna for a deep dive into one of FDR's most controversial economic moves. #FDR #NewDeal #GreatDepression #GoldReserveAct #GoldStandard #GoldClauseCases #SupremeCourt #LewisDouglas #JamesWarburg #ThomasCorcoran #HenryMorgenthau #MonetaryPolicy #Devaluation #FiresideChat #1933BankingCrisis #EmergencyBankingAct #USHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's Bank Holiday and the Emergency Banking Act of 1933

In March 1933, Franklin Roosevelt shut down every bank in America. For four days, the entire financial system ground to a halt. This episode explores the dramatic Bank Holiday of 1933 and the Emergency Banking Act that followed — a whirlwind of legislation that stabilized the panic, restored public confidence, and redefined the federal government's role in banking. Lucas and Luna walk through the chaotic days before the holiday, the behind-the-scenes drafting of the legislation, FDR's first Fireside Chat explaining it to the nation, and the rapid reopening of solvent banks. They discuss the role of Treasury officials like William Woodin and the distinction between the Emergency Banking Act and later banking reforms like the Glass-Steagall Act. This is the untold story of how FDR caught his breath and saved the banks in his first week in office. #FDR #NewDeal #BankHoliday #EmergencyBankingAct #GreatDepression #FiresideChat #WilliamWoodin #GlassSteagall #BankingReform #1933 #FDIC #FederalReserve #Hoover #ReconstructionFinanceCorporation #AmericanHistory #EconomicHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]