The New Deal Remakes the Federal Government
Roosevelt's programs put people to work and build a social safety net
Quick facts
- President
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, from March 1933
- Civilian Conservation Corps
- Established 1933, men aged 18-25
- Social Security Act
- Signed August 14, 1935
- Aim
- Relief, recovery, and reform
What happened
Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in March 1933 amid the depths of the Depression and launched a torrent of programs known as the New Deal to provide relief, recovery, and reform. He established the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, which put single men aged 18 to 25 to work improving public lands, forests, and parks, paying $30 a month with most sent home to families. The Works Progress Administration employed millions on public projects. The centerpiece of the reform effort was the Social Security Act, which Roosevelt signed on August 14, 1935, creating a system of federal old-age benefits and support for the unemployed, the blind, and dependent children, funded by taxes on wages and payrolls.
Why it matters
The New Deal permanently enlarged the role of the federal government in American life, establishing that Washington bears responsibility for economic security and for the welfare of citizens who cannot support themselves. Social Security remains one of the largest and most durable government programs in the country, and the New Deal coalition reshaped American politics for decades. It set the pattern of an activist federal government that later generations would either extend or fight to roll back.
How we know
The Social Security Act and its stated purpose survive in the National Archives, and the New Deal programs are documented in extensive federal records, agency archives, and the physical works of the CCC and WPA still visible today.
Sources
- National Archives. Social Security Act (1935) · Primary source (author-declared)archives.gov · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- National Park Service. The Civilian Conservation Corps · Reputable sourcenps.gov · The domain "nps.gov" is on our Reputable source registry.
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