The Alphabet Agencies

What were the alphabet agencies?

Roosevelt set up a number of federal government agencies to solve the problems of the Depression. As their names were often abbreviated to initials, they became known as the alphabet agencies.

How did setting up the alphabet agencies help farms?

The New Deal contained a number of measures designed to help farmers, stop overproduction and raise food prices.

• ❖ The Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) paid farmers to produce fewer crops. This aimed to end overproduction and drive food prices back up.
• ❖ The Commodity Credit Corporation paid farmers to store food in warehouses instead of selling it.
• ❖ The Farm Credit Administration improved mortgages for about 20% of farms, meaning farmers could pay more easily and avoid repossession.

How did the alphabet agencies provide relief?

The New Deal contained a number of laws designed to provide help for the poor.

• ❖ The Federal Emergency Relief Act provided $3 billion of federal money to be given to states to help the unemployed.
• ❖ The Homeowners Refinancing Act extended mortgages so that people could pay over 20 years instead of five, and afford their mortgage payments.

How did alphabet agencies provide work?

Roosevelt believed that the federal government should give people employment, rather than just handouts.

• ❖ The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was set up to give outdoor conservation work to half a million 17 to 23-year-olds. They lived in camps and were paid $30 a month, most of which was sent home to their families.
• ❖ The Public Works Administration involved $3.3 billion of federal money for public works schemes and for hiring skilled workers.
• ❖ To provide short-term relief and see the unemployed through winter, the Civil Works Administration was set up in 1933 under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) to provide temporary work.

How did alphabet agencies help industry?

The National Recovery Agency (NRA) was established to fix some of the problems that had developed during the Depression for workers in business.

• ❖ The NRA set up a scheme where business owners could pledge to follow guidelines on wages, working hours, workplace conditions and prices.
• ❖ Nobody was forced to join the NRA scheme, but doing so meant they could display the NRA's blue eagle logo and show they were helping to resolve the Depression.
• ❖ 2.3 million businesses joined the scheme.
• ❖ The NRA also gave workers the legal right to join a union and campaign for better working conditions. Union membership rose from 3.1 million to 3.9 million in 1939.

Which alphabet agencies helped the southern states?

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was set up to solve the problems of poverty, underdevelopment and soil erosion in states along the Tennessee River. Federal control allowed it to achieve more than state governments could.

Which alphabet agencies increased the use of electricity?

At the beginning of the 1930s, only 10% of farmers had electricity because it was too expensive to run it to remote areas. Various agencies were set up to help.

• ❖ The TVA built hydroelectric dams on the Tennessee River which provided electricity to the surrounding area.
• ❖ In 1935, the Electric Home and Farm Authority helped farmers to buy electrical equipment.

What were Roosevelt's alphabet agencies called?

Alphabet agencies were so called because they had long names that were shortened to their initials. There were many:

• ❖ AAA - Agricultural Adjustment Administration.
• ❖ CCC - Civilian Conservation Corps.
• ❖ PWA - Public Works Administration.
• ❖ WPA - Works Progress Administration.
• ❖ CWA - Civil Works Administration.
• ❖ EBA - Emergency Banking Act.
• ❖ FERA - Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
• ❖ NRA - National Recovery Administration.
• ❖ NLRB - National Labour Relations Board.
• ❖ RA - Resettlement Administration.
• ❖ FHA - Federal Housing Administration.
• ❖ NLRA - Wagner Act (National Labour Relations Act).
• ❖ REA - Rural Electrification Administration.
• ❖ FSA - Farm Security Administration.
• ❖ SSB - Social Security Board.