Directions: Please read Ch. 21 of Give Me Liberty!, read documents 137, 140, and 141 from Voices of Freedom, watch the video on FDR and the New Deal posted in the Discussion Forum folder, and watch Author Podcasts 1, 3, and 4 (also posted in this folder). Read and answer the following question in your original post:

ONLY cite these two sources:

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!. 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2014. Print.

Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom. 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2014. Print.

DO NOT USE ANY OUTSIDE SOURCES.
Since the founding of the United States, Americans have primarily believed in classical liberalism (meaning individuals have certain inalienable rights that the government is supposed to protect) and that the law of supply and demand (Adam Smith, laissez faire economics) should control the market. The events leading up to the New Deal – particularly the Progressive Era – started to change peoples’ thinking in the U.S. By the 1930s, as Eric Foner notes “”Liberalism,” traditionally understood as limited government and free market economics, took on its modern meaning. Thanks to the New Deal, it now referred to active efforts by the national government to uplift less fortunate members of society” (Foner, Give Me Liberty, 800). Throughout the Great Depression, FDR faced criticism from liberals and conservatives. Liberals criticized the New Deal for not going far enough to aid Americans during the Depression. Conservatives criticized FDR for going too far. If you were alive during the Great Depression, which side would you have been on and why? Be sure to cite information from the assigned readings and videos to support your position.

For your reply, find a classmate that agreed with your original critique of the New Deal and counter their argument. Make sure to cite supporting evidence as directed on the syllabus.