Herbert Hoover and his policies

Hoover was born on August 10, 1874, in Iowa. His parents were Quakers. His father died in 1880, and his mother in 1884, leaving Hoover an orphan at the age of nine. He worked his way through Stanford University, graduating with a degree in engineering. Before the War, he was a well-known international engineer. He had discovered major gold and coal deposits in Australia and China and had accumulated a substantial fortune Worked for a private corporation in China. He became an independent mining consultant, and traveled worldwide until the outbreak of WWI. During the War, Hoover undertook an extremely large relief effort as head of the Committee for Relief in Belgium. He led five hundred volunteers to pass out food, clothing, steamship tickets and cash. Once the U.S. joined the war, Wilson appointed Hoover head of the American Food Administration At the end of the war, Hoover was head of the American Relief Administration, organized shipments of food for millions of starving people in Central Europe. After the War, President Harding offered Hoover the post of Secretary of Commerce although he had placed his name on the California Primary ballot for the Presidential election which he had lost. After the Great Mississippi River Flood, the governors of six states along the Mississippi specifically asked for Herbert Hoover to combat the emergency. He set up health units in which workers stamped out malaria, pellagra, and typhoid fever. His work placed him in the forefront of humanitarian efforts. One of Hoover's chief objectives was to address the growing casualty toll of traffic accidents. He set motor vehicle standards, rules of the road, and urban traffic. Hoover became the Republican Presidential nominee in 1928. He was viewed as an example of why the country was successful. He was hard working, humanitarian and had astounding leadership capabilities. He was seen as an architect of prosperity which erupted during the 20s. He himself had not come from wealth and believed in laissezfaire capitalism. Hoover saw the presidency as a vehicle for improving the conditions of all Americans not by resorting to dictatorship or socialism, but rather through lawful regulation and by encouraging volunteerism. Volunteerism- Use of or reliance on volunteers, especially to perform social or educational work in communities. He feared that too much intervention or coercion by the government would destroy individuality and self-reliance, which he considered to be important American values.

His domestic policies included : Expanded the civil service Appointed a commission to create national parks Oversaw the creation of the Hoover Dam and the San Francisco Bay Bridge Created an antitrust division in the Justice Department Reorganized Bureau of Indian Affairs Proposed a Federal Department of Education Led the way for the prosecution of gangster Al Capone!

His foreign policies included : Began formulating what would later become Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy Withdraw American troops from Nicaragua and Haiti Called for a one-third reduction of the world's naval power, which was called the Hoover Plan.

After just eight months in office, on October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed, fueling a growing depression that became the most severe economic crisis the United States had ever known, and second only to the Civil War as the greatest domestic crisis in the nation's history. Although Herbert Hoover has been blamed for the stock market crash, he, in fact, warned President Coolidge in 1925 about the dangers of excessive stock market speculation. He again expressed concern while running for president in 1928. After the crash, Herbert Hoover ordered federal departments to speed up construction projects, cut $160 million in taxes, and doubled the amount spent on public works. By 1933, one-fourth of the nation's workers were unemployed. In addition to the high unemployment, the American economy experienced slow economic growth and financial instability. Hoover was criticized for his refusal to authorize large-scale relief programs that might have alleviated the nation's suffering and hunger, his unwillingness to use a significant amount of federal dollars to stimulate the nation's economy, and his failure to recognize the all-encompassing nature of the Great Depression.

Hoovers Response to great Depression Smoot Hawley Tariff Extremely High Tariff Hoover waned to raise tariff higher to protect US goods

Analyze Outcome: 1. Raises the cost of goods 2. The tariff was one of the Causes of the Depression! Presidential Optimism Hoover gave speeches in which he said this is a temporary problem and encouraged people to be positive thinkers Analyze Outcome: 1. Not really solving anything, could be thought of as a liar if things dont work out. 2. Angered People b/c he is a millionaire! - Cardboard box homes Hoovervilles - Newspaper blankets Hoover Blanket - Pant Pocket turned out Hoover Flag 3. Taxes Belief was if he Cut taxes people will have more $ to spend Analyze Outcome: 1. People have no money to begin with to be taxed, so less taxes does not matter 2. LESS GOVERNMENT SPENDING!!! 3. People may hoard $, not spend it 4. Plead with Big Business Hoover begged Employers to rehire, open up factories Analyze Outcome:

- Businesses cant sell cant pay employees cant rehire b/c there is no work to be done

5. State and Local Government Should Get Involved State and Local Government should find solutions, help people in a rough state Analyze Outcome: - Federal Government maintains it is not part of its responsibility - No Money to use b/c Hoover cut taxes 6. Charity Ask Americans to be Charitable Give $ to charity, loan to neighbors, invite troubled neighbors to dinner Analyze Outcome: - This is only a Temporary Solution - Gap between wealthy and poor is so big, wealthy could not give enough to help! 7. Reconstruction Finance Corporation (R.F.C.) Program established in 1932 that gave Fed government loans to banks and business to help them re-adjust Analyze Outcome: Good idea, but waits to long and does not go far enough in Federal Aid

The Bonus marchers In May 1932 some World War I veterans set up camp near the capital.

The men were in Washington to pressure the federal government to pay a veterans bonusa cash award they were promised for their war service. The bonus was not due for many years, but the men needed the money. Congress refused to meet the demands of these bonus marchers, and some left. A core group remained, including women and children. In July, as police and U.S. soldiers began clearing the area of veterans, violence erupted and the camp went up in flames, injuring hundreds. Hoover did not want to pay the bonus because he was concerned about balancing the budget. However, many Americans were greatly disturbed by the sight of soldiers using weapons against homeless veterans. The publics opinion of Hoover fell even more. Multiple Problems with Hoover: Once economy collapses, Hoover gets the blame. Hoover is a millionaire resented by suffering people for that The Problems during the Great Depression are so bad. His policies during his presidency are ineffective

Public Perception of him was: A very negative perception. Americans lived as "hoboes" in shantytowns called "Hoovervilles. Newspapers= "Hoover blankets," and jackrabbits = "Hoover hogs." Hoover vetoed relief bills, waiting for his "corporate welfare" program to work. Perceived as uncaring, unwilling to admit that people were starving and that his ideas were failing. Economy was fine until Hoover came in.

References:http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1580.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooverville http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Society_of_Friends http://www.history.com/topics/hoovervilles/photos#