On October 24, 1929 everything changed. On the day that became known as "Black Thursday", stock market prices plummeted. Investors were unnerved by the rise in interest rates and suddenly sold their stocks causing prices to drop dramatically. The following Tuesday, October 29, prices dropped further. 16 million shares were thrown onto the market as investors panicked. This was known as the stock market crash of 1929, which was one of the many causes of the start of the Great Depression. The New Deal, put in place by President Roosevelt, was an idea that was thought to be used to help many Americans deal with hardships during this time. Our society, our people, needed help. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1933 and gave a promising speech in his inaugural address. In his speech he stated: “Many unemployed citizens face the sad problems of existence and an equally large number of hardships with poor performance. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment” (Henretta, Edwards, and Self, America 694). What FDR was saying, in a simpler way, is that there is no good way to look at the situation the nation was in. FDR came to Congress and introduced the New Deal in an attempt to end the Depression. Recovery from this “panic” must have been quick, however it expanded for about 20 years from the 1920s to the 1940s. To take the first step toward recovery, Congress passed numerous administrations and acts. In the 1930s the government established the first and second New Deals. The New Deal was passed by Congress in 1933 and consists of a set of government programs intended to end one depression and prevent another. It can be classified as the three R's. The Three R's stand for recovery, re...... middle of paper ......nning, but now they also serve to help disabled people (history, “this day in history” ). relief program was the Works Progress Administration. This has given employment to many people through art and theatre. He financed theaters to relieve people's depression. One famous act was The Cradle Will Rock. This has helped many to lift their spirits during this difficult time. Ultimately, the New Deal didn't fix the economy. It was the Second World War that finally got the economy moving again. At the start of the Great Depression unemployment was 25% and in the 1940s it was 15%. The First and Second New Deals did not end the Great Depression. However, it has changed the role of government to play a greater role in the social and economic lives of the citizens it governs. The federal government was now supposed to work in the interest of the people.