New Deal & WWII

Paid farmers subsidies to reduce production and raise crop prices during the Great Depression. The original act was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1936 but replaced by the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938.

Established the system of federal agricultural subsidies that continues in modified form today.

Created the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide flood control, electricity generation, and economic development to the Tennessee Valley region. It was one of the most ambitious federal infrastructure projects in history.

Demonstrated the potential for large-scale federal economic development programs.

Required companies issuing securities to register with the federal government and provide financial disclosure to investors. Often called the 'truth in securities' law, it aimed to prevent the fraud that contributed to the 1929 crash.

Created the foundation of federal securities regulation and investor protection.

Separated commercial banking from investment banking and created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to insure bank deposits. Prohibited banks from engaging in securities underwriting.

Stabilized the banking system for over 60 years; its partial repeal in 1999 was linked to the 2008 financial crisis.

Created the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and established regulations for the secondary trading of securities. Required periodic reporting by publicly traded companies.

Established ongoing oversight of securities markets and corporate disclosure requirements.

Guaranteed workers the right to organize into labor unions, engage in collective bargaining, and take collective action including strikes. Created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to enforce these rights.

Established the legal framework for American labor relations and union organizing that persists today.

Created a social insurance program providing old-age benefits funded by payroll taxes, unemployment insurance, and aid to dependent children. Initially excluded agricultural and domestic workers, disproportionately affecting minorities.

Established the cornerstone of the American social safety net.

Established the federal minimum wage at $0.25 per hour, mandated overtime pay at time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond 40 per week, and prohibited most child labor. Applied initially to industries involved in interstate commerce.

Created the minimum wage and overtime protections that remain the foundation of American labor law.

Provided returning World War II veterans with benefits including college tuition, low-cost mortgages, and unemployment insurance. By 1956, nearly 8 million veterans had used education benefits.

Transformed American higher education and created the postwar middle class.

Amended the Wagner Act to restrict union activities, prohibiting closed shops, secondary boycotts, and jurisdictional strikes. Allowed states to pass right-to-work laws and required union leaders to sign anti-communist affidavits.

Rebalanced labor-management relations in favor of employers and remains a cornerstone of labor law.