"The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio
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| Language: | English |
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Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK
2021
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617017851410995 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-bgsu16170178514109952021-08-03T07:16:59Z "The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio Bolton, Anthony J. American History History Great Depression New Deal Franklin D Roosevelt agriculture relief Union Party 1932 election 1936 election Ohio politics Father Charles Coughlin Dr Francis Townsend The Great Depression and New Deal had a profound impact on the United States. It led to the need for fundamental changes in the nation, especially regarding the federal government’s role and size. The beginning of the Great Depression marked the end of the “New Era” that the United States had experienced in the 1920s. However, one group of Americans—farmers—did not participate in this “New Era,” including those in three Northwestern Ohio counties: Hancock, Seneca, and Wood. This study analyzes through voting and media analysis how these three counties reacted to the Great Depression and the New Deal from 1929 to 1936. As the Depression continued to worsen, their suffering continued and even worsened, and with Herbert Hoover’s inability to provide relief or a path to recovery, these counties and the rest of the nation turned to Franklin Roosevelt and his promise of a “new deal” to provide that relief. Within these counties, the New Deal was initially seen as successful; however, it was soon seen as having a corrosive effect on traditional American values. Because of this, these counties rejected Roosevelt and the New Deal in 1936, while the rest of the nation overwhelmingly supported him. While there has been historical scholarship published on rural farming in the Midwest during the Great Depression, there has been little analysis of Northwest Ohio and especially these three counties. There has also been little historical scholarship published on the New Deal’s impact on a more local level. I argue that Hancock, Seneca, and Wood counties’ citizens saw traditional American values as the best solutions to economic problems. If federal relief was deemed necessary, it should only provide enough to allow those values to resume their effectiveness. 2021-05-11 English text Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617017851410995 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617017851410995 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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NDLTD |
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English |
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NDLTD |
| topic |
American History History Great Depression New Deal Franklin D Roosevelt agriculture relief Union Party 1932 election 1936 election Ohio politics Father Charles Coughlin Dr Francis Townsend |
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American History History Great Depression New Deal Franklin D Roosevelt agriculture relief Union Party 1932 election 1936 election Ohio politics Father Charles Coughlin Dr Francis Townsend Bolton, Anthony J. "The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio |
| author |
Bolton, Anthony J. |
| author_facet |
Bolton, Anthony J. |
| author_sort |
Bolton, Anthony J. |
| title |
"The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio |
| title_short |
"The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio |
| title_full |
"The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio |
| title_fullStr |
"The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio |
| title_full_unstemmed |
"The Best Form of Assistance Always is the Kind That Enables Folks to Help Themselves": Public Reaction to the New Deal in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood Counties of Ohio |
| title_sort |
"the best form of assistance always is the kind that enables folks to help themselves": public reaction to the new deal in hancock, seneca, and wood counties of ohio |
| publisher |
Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2021 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617017851410995 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT boltonanthonyj thebestformofassistancealwaysisthekindthatenablesfolkstohelpthemselvespublicreactiontothenewdealinhancocksenecaandwoodcountiesofohio |
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1719457865574383616 |