The Hundred Days Remake the Federal Government
In three months FDR pushes a wall of legislation through Congress
Quick facts
- Span
- First hundred days of the FDR administration, 1933
- Agencies created
- AAA, CCC, TVA, FERA, NRA and others
- First described publicly
- Radio address, July 24, 1933
- Nickname
- The "alphabet agencies"
What happened
In the first hundred days of his administration, Roosevelt pushed a package of legislation through Congress designed to lift the country out of the Depression. He declared the banking holiday to stop the runs, then created a set of new federal agencies known by their initials. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration tried to raise farm prices, the Civilian Conservation Corps put young men to work on public lands, the Tennessee Valley Authority brought jobs and electricity to a poor rural region, and relief agencies put the unemployed to work on construction and arts projects. Roosevelt used a radio address on July 24, 1933 to describe what his first hundred days had done.
Why it matters
The Hundred Days established a new relationship between Americans and their national government, one in which Washington took direct responsibility for relief, recovery, and reform. The alphabet agencies born in this stretch reshaped agriculture, employment, and regional development, and the phrase itself became the yardstick by which every later president's opening months would be measured.
How we know
The legislative program of the Hundred Days is documented by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, which summarizes the agencies created and quotes Roosevelt's own July 1933 radio address.
Sources
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Great Depression Facts · Reputable sourcefdrlibrary.org · The domain "fdrlibrary.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Library of Congress. The Great Depression and World War II, 1929 to 1945: Overview · Primary sourceloc.gov · The domain "loc.gov" is on our Primary source registry.
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