Brother, Can you Spare a Dime? Bing Crosby, 1932 Documents Jenny...“Brother, Can you Spare a...
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“Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?” Bing Crosby, 1932 They used to tell me I was building a dream And so I followed the mob. When there was earth to plow or guns to bear, I was always there, right on the job They used to tell me I was building a dream, With peace and glory ahead. Why should I be standing in line? Just waiting for bread? Once I built a railroad. I made it run, Made it race against time. Once I built a railroad. Now it’s done Brother, can you spare a dime? Once I built a tower up to the sun, Brick and rivet and lime. Once I built a tower. Now it’s done. Brother can you spare a dime? Once in khaki suits, Gee, we looked swell, Full of that Yankee doodley-dum. Half a million boots went slogging through hell, And I was the kid with the drum! Say don’t you remember? They called me Al. It was Al all the time. Why don’t you remember? I’m your pal. Say, buddy, can you spare a dime?
Transcript of Brother, Can you Spare a Dime? Bing Crosby, 1932 Documents Jenny...“Brother, Can you Spare a...
“Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?”
Bing Crosby, 1932
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob. When there was earth to plow or guns to
bear, I was always there, right on the job They used to tell me I was building a
dream, With peace and glory ahead. Why should I be standing in line? Just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad. I made it run, Made it race against time. Once I built a railroad. Now it’s done Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower up to the sun, Brick and rivet and lime. Once I built a tower. Now it’s done. Brother can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, Gee, we looked swell, Full of that Yankee doodley-dum. Half a million boots went slogging
through hell, And I was the kid with the drum! Say don’t you remember? They called
me Al. It was Al all the time. Why don’t you remember? I’m your
pal. Say, buddy, can you spare a dime?
Wednesday, March 14th
Essay #2 due at the START of labs on March 15th or 16th
Remember to submit paper via blackboards Turn-It-In function before
labs and hard copy at the start of labs.
Failure to do both will result in a late penalty or not accepted at all.
Don’t forget to come into the American Heritage Review Room (173 A
SWKT) for help on papers and concepts
Open Lab Review on Saturday, March 17th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
in 173A, 337, and 350 SWKT
Midterm #2: March 20th – 23rd
Tuesday, March 20th, Wednesday, March 21st (NO FEE)
Thursday, March 22nd -- $5 late fee
Friday, March 23rd -- $7 late fee – must have the test in
hand by 11:00 am
Fighting the Machine
Part II
The Great Depression
The Great Depression
Possible causes of recession: Shocks to
the Market System
Overspending
Drought
Wealth gap
Burst of stock bubble
Runs on banks > bank failures
Consequences of the Great
Depression
Severe Economic Hardship
Economic Impact of the Great
Depression
5000 bank failures
25% Unemployment (50% for African
Americans: “Last hired, first fired”)
Stocks lost 75% of their value
Over 1 million people lost their homes
Comparing Post-WWII Recessions
Comparing Post-WWII Recessions
Dorothea Lange photographs of
the Great Depression
Drought and Dust Storms
75% of country impacted by drought by
1934
27 states severely affected
Dust storms widespread > “Dust bowl”
“Black Blizzard” of April, 1935
Consequences of the Great
Depression
Political Upheaval
The Election of 1932: Roosevelt defeats Hoover
Political Impact of the Great
Depression
1928 Democrat Republican
Popular Vote 15 million 21 million
Electoral Vote 87 444
Senate 39 56
House 167 267
1937 Democrat Republican
Popular Vote 23 million 16 million
Electoral Vote 472 59
Senate 60 35
House 310 117
FDR’s “New Deal”
Tools:
Leadership: Roosevelt as father figure
Experts: the “Brain Trust”
Bold experimentation: Willingness to try
anything
New Deal Approaches
The Visible Hand: Cartels
National Recovery Act (NRA)
Agricultural Adjustment Administration
(AAA)
Keynesian Economics
Keynesian Economics
“Priming the Pump”
Deficit spending during crisis
Building up budget surplus during times
of economic growth
New Deal Work Programs
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Federal Emergency Relief
Administration (FERA)
Public Works Administration (PWA)
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
New Deal Economic
Regulations
Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Regulate stock market
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Mediate between workers and business
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Guarantee bank deposits
Fair Labor Standards Act Set minimum wage
Social Security Unemployment, disability, retirement insurance
The Success of the New Deal
Short-term relief (especially after start of
WWII)
Long-term protections/programs
Social Security
SEC (Securities and Exchange
Commission)
9/11: SEC shut down stock market for a week
The Long-term Impact of the
New Deal
Increase in government regulation
Reliance on deficit spending
Growth of dependency, sense of
entitlement, “rights talk”
Federal Budget as a Percentage of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)
Progressive Era
1880 3%
1910 6%
New Deal
1929 11%
1939 22%
Civil Rights Era to Present
1960 28%
1980 37%
2009 45%
iClicker quiz: Should the government have
intervened in our current financial crisis,
the “Great Recession”?
A) Yes
B) No
