President Roosevelt s Cabinet Background Guide

Transcription

1 President Roosevelt s Cabinet Background Guide Crisis Director: Thomas Lovegren Committee Chairs: Rayyan Merchant and Treasure D Souza Assistant Crisis Managers: Aamir Lacewala and Barak Huang

2 LETTER FROM YOUR DIRECTOR Hello delegates, My name is Thomas Lovegren and welcome to AHPMUN s first historical crisis. I am currently a senior at American Heritage suffering from early onset senioritis, but luckily AHPMUN and other MUN events for the AHS team are keeping me motivated! That being said, I am really looking forward to meeting you all back in the 1930s and solving the issues outlined in this guide. Outside of Model UN, I am involved with MAC (Music Appreciation Club) and my favorite Netflix show to binge is Better Call Saul. Though my duties as Secretary General may require me to leave the crisis room at various points, I will leave you in the capable hands of the other chairs and staffers. Research a lot and get ready for an interesting committee that will surely be relevant to today. Thomas Lovegren pl212702@ahschool.com 2

3 LETTER FROM YOUR CHAIR Hello delegates! My name is Rayyan Merchant and I will be acting as your head chair during AHPMUN! I am currently a senior at American Heritage and have been competing with the team since my freshman year. I also sing in our school s A Capella Chorus and Music Honor Society and a side interest of mine is learning languages. All of us are extremely excited to see all of you compete in September and we will do our best to make the committee as intriguing and accessible as possible so that even if it is your first time doing Model UN or a Crisis Committee, you will be as engaged and capable as everyone else. Make sure to get enough rest and research in so that you will be as ready as possible before AHPMUN. Rayyan Merchant pl221761@ahschool.com 3

4 ELECTRONICS POLICY FOR AHPMUN VI For the first time, AHPMUN crisis committee rooms will be using electronic crisis notes. Delegates will need to bring a functional laptop or tablet into the committee room in order to send crisis notes to the backroom staff. If a delegate does not have access to a laptop or tablet, the traditional Columbia system of sending in a full legal pad will be accepted. All delegates should bring two (2) legal pads so that they can write directives in room. Allowing the use of laptops in committee is meant to assist delegates in maintaining organized crisis arcs and speeding up response time from the backroom. By accepting this privilege, delegates agree to certain rules regarding the usage of technology in committee room. They are summarized here, but the full honor code can be found on the AHPMUN website: NO games, social media, texting, or web surfing. NO communicating with other delegates in the room. Send actual notes. NO inappropriate notes or messages- this includes sexual harassment and cyberbullying. NO researching in room. You are given plenty of time to research for this committee before the committee sessions begin. The only website you can be on during committee is in order to send crisis notes to the backroom. Any delegate caught using their laptops inappropriately may be asked to put away the technology for the rest of the conference or be removed from the committee room. These delegates will be ineligible for awards. 4

5 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND- FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT Franklin Delano Roosevelt, generally referred to as FDR, was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York. The only child of affluent parents, FDR studied with private tutors and at elite institutions such as Harvard. As a young adult, Roosevelt attended law school at Columbia University and worked as a clerk in a law firm for several years. He entered politics in 1910 and won a state senate seat as a Democrat. In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson named Roosevelt as the assistant secretary of the United States Navy and held that position for 7 years. Following this, Roosevelt ran for governor of New York and took office in 1929 and won reelection in Two years later in 1932, Roosevelt became a frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination and later appeared in Chicago to accept the nomination. Roosevelt won the general election by a large margin over opponent Herbert Hoover, and was inaugurated on March 4,

6 TOPIC 1: CONTINUING TO REPAIR THE NATIONAL ECONOMY The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (now remembered as Black Tuesday). Between the years of 1929 and 1932, the worldwide gross domestic product fell by an estimated 15%. There were many causes of the Great Depression but there are five problems in particular that need to be dealt with before any apparent relief is seen. Stock market Stock market collapse of 1929 completely devastated existing financial institutions. Two months after the original crash in October, stockholders had lost more than $40 billion dollars. Until the stock market recovers, companies are unable to raise capital to employ and innovate. Bank Failures Throughout the 1930s over 9,000 banks failed. Bank deposits were uninsured and thus as banks failed people simply lost their savings. Surviving banks, unsure of the economic situation and concerned for their own survival, stopped being as willing to create new loans. This exacerbated the situation leading to less and less expenditures. Reduction in Purchasing Across the Board With the stock market crash and the fears of further economic woes, individuals from all classes stopped purchasing items. This then led to a reduction in the number of items produced and thus a reduction in the workforce. As people lost their jobs, they were unable to keep up with paying for items they had bought through installment plans and their items were repossessed. More and more inventory began to accumulate. The unemployment rate rose above 25% which meant, of course, even less spending to help alleviate the economic situation. 6

7 American Economic Policy with Europe As businesses began failing, the government created the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in 1930 to help protect American companes. This charged a high tax for imports thereby leading to less trade between America and foreign countries along with some economic retaliation. Drought Conditions While not a direct cause of the Great Depression, the drought that occurred in the Mississippi Valley in 1930 was of such proportions that many could not even pay their taxes or other debts and had to sell their farms for no profit to themselves. The area was nicknamed "The Dust Bowl." This was the topic of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Any policy combatting the financial crisis would need to consider all five components that caused the perfect disaster. 7

8 TOPIC 2 - RESPONDING TO THE INFIGHTING WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY The outpouring of millions of ballots for the Democratic ticket reflected the enormous admiration for what FDR had hoped to achieve in less than four years. He had been inaugurated in March 1933 during perilous times one-third of the workforce jobless, industry all but paralyzed, farmers desperate, most of the banks shut down. In 1933 workers and businessmen marched in spectacular parades to demonstrate their support for the National Recovery Administration (NRA), Roosevelt s agency for industrial mobilization, symbolized by its emblem, the blue eagle. Farmers were grateful for government subsidies dispensed by the newly created Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). These new ideas served as a great contrast to one of Hoover s major policy mistakes his promotion and signing of the Smoot-Hawley tariff in This law increased tariffs significantly on a wide variety of imported goods, creating the highest tariff rates in U.S. history. The act helped cause a decline in international trade, a decline that contributed to the worsening worldwide depression. Republicans are sure to be staunchly opposed to any new legislation put forth by the new Roosevelt administration, and will attempt to kill any major wins for democrats policy-wise. Also, within the democratic party, rabid fringes of far-left thinking have taken hold as a response to the depression. Figureheads like Louisiana Governor Huey Long have taken to using populism and socialism in order to try and beat out Roosevelt for not going far enough in his social policy. Fighting a war in-party, alongside fighting Republicans in the Supreme court is sure to be a challenge. 8

9 ROLES AND CHARACTERS Please note that the Crisis Director has slightly altered the historical timeline to best accommodate this committee simulation. For the purposes of this committee, each delegate s character will not change due to term changes. Each character will be treated as if they were kept in Roosevelt s cabinet for all three terms starting in 1933 (not accounting for in-committee action). The committee will also include characters outside of the traditional cabinet. Vice President - John N. Garner John Nance Garner served as the 32nd Vice President of the United States as well as the 39th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, being only one of two people to have served in both positions. Garner held conservative views and opposed strikes of labor unions and helped take away centralized power from the president s control. Secretary of State - Cordell Hull An accomplished lawyer, politician, and soldier, Cordell Hull arguably had the most influence on U.S. foreign relations during this period second to only the president. He designed U.S. foreign policy leading up to World War Two and later is credited with architecting the creation of the United Nations. However, his professional career came with a terrible streak of Anti-Semitism that carried over into his policies. Secretary of the Treasury - William H. Woodin Formerly a a bank director, Woodin became a major contributor to Roosevelt s election campaign in 1932 and eventually a major implementer of policies designed to combat the Great Depression (such as taking America off the gold standard). 9

10 Secretary of War - George Henry Dern A mining mogul turned progressive politician, Dern had a knack for appealing to both sides of the political spectrum and as Governor of Utah, devoted himself to improving every aspect of Utah. Although he had no military experience, his appointment to the position of Secretary of War was approved of by military circles and he kept that approval throughout his term. Attorney General - Homer S. Cummings An accomplished lawyer but initially failed politician, Cummings political career skyrocketed once he gained the favor of Roosevelt leading up to the election. His policies transformed the Justice Department and helped make it into the modern institution it is today. Postmaster General - James A. Farley The son of Irish immigrants, Farley distinguished himself early on in the state of New York and the National Democratic Party, to the point where he was even referred to as a political kingmaker by many. His involvement in the New Deal was critical during this period and he kept his massive political power beyond his tenure as a Postmaster General. Secretary of the Navy - Claude A. Swanson Hailing from a family of merchants, Swanson was not initially inclined towards a career as a statesman, but a series of events led him to become governor of Virginia. Almost always a controversial figure, Swanson s ideas were sometimes successful and sometimes not, but his ideas were generally seen to line up with progressive ideals. 10

11 Secretary of the Interior - Harold L. Ickes The longest-serving Secretary of the Interior ever, Harold Ickes was known for being a skilled orator and progressive politician. As secretary of the Interior, Ickes was responsible for engineering several influential domestic policies, not all of which were successful. Secretary of Agriculture - Henry A. Wallace A strong progressive and knowledgeable agriculturalist, Wallace introduced several beneficial (but controversial) policies during his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture and was vilified by some and praised by others. His knowledge of actual farm life and agricultural sciences helped him greatly. Secretary of Commerce - Daniel C. Roper As Secretary of Commerce Roper was instrumental in rolling out Roosevelt s New Deal but had held a myriad of government positions before then such as first assistant postmaster general and U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Secretary of Labor - Frances Perkins Frances Perkins was not only the longest-serving Secretary of Labor in U.S. history, she was also the first woman ever appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. A strong proponent of workers-rights, she planned out many aspects of the New Deal and provided safety for child and women laborers. 11

12 Press Secretary - Stephen T. Early Before he became the longest-serving press secretary in American history, Stephen Early had a long history of reporting, serving as an Associated Press Correspondent and as representative of Paramount News. He was in constant communication with the press and the president and maintained an open-door policy with White House correspondents. Chief Justice - Charles Evans Hughes Chief Justice Hughes was a highly respected politician and judge of Welsh descent who served in various positions before his appointment to the position of Chief Justice. He supported moderate social reform and economic regulation throughout his entire political career. 12

13 POINTS OF INTEREST Father Coughlin Huey Long Smoot-Hawley Silver Legion of America CPUSA 13