Probably the most well known act that Roosevelt created during the depression was the Social Security Act. This created a system of old-age pensions, guaranteeing workers and their families from income losses due to old age, illness, unemployment, or death. Another act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, established a federal minimum wage and a maximum hour policy. It was created to keep competitive wage cutting by employers during the depression and has become a standard for minimum skill jobs today.

When you look for similarities between the Great Depression and today’s society, there is no need to look further than the situation that the stock market has been heading since the summer of 2000. The economy, powered by a new technology sector, had been booming since the late 1990’s. However, with many people questioning the merit of some of the leading technology companies, the market saw an incredible downfall, leaving many people’s portfolios empty and many others jobless. The difference between today and the 1929 stock market crash was simply what Roosevelt told the people in his speech at San Francisco, “…we are learning rapidly, in a severe school. The lessons so learned must not be forgotten, even in the mental lethargy of a speculative upturn.”(Breen 152) The United States has not forgotten and that is why we have learned that there will be ups and downs, but not to panic and everything will go back to normal. Roosevelt went on to say in his speech, “We must build toward the time when a major depression cannot occur again; and if this means sacrificing the easy profits of inflationist booms, then let them go; and good riddance.”(Breen 152) This has become a building stone for the United States, as we are determined never to let something like this happen again. Although the stock market crash of 1929 was not the only cause of the depression, it did seem to be the first of many bad things that led to the depression.

Roosevelt’s New Deal, for the first two years, mainly concerned itself with relief. It set up shelters and soup kitchens, feeding the millions of unemployed Americans. Roosevelt felt this was the way to start economic recovery. After taking care of the unemployed Americans, Roosevelt’s New Deal began to move towards recovery. In order to achieve this monumental task, Roosevelt created several agencies to help. NRA, the National Recovery Administration, was the foundation of the recovery agencies. The NRA regulated prices, wages, working conditions, and credit terms, with presidential approv

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