Renee

media type="file" key="RLS-fireside chat.mp3" width="240" height="20"Wake up America, there’s a new act coming to town and it’s the Agricultural Adjustment Act. In the next 100 days in office, I plan to pass laws that will get use through the Depression, and here is one of them. Farmers have been facing some agricultural problems lately and have been having trouble paying their mortgages, and some are even having some serious financial difficulty. If farms are foreclosed, farmers cannot make any more money. There was no demand for crops in recent years, so prices are rapidly dropping. This adds fuel to the fire of the farmers' debt. This crop depression has American citizens listing corn as under a penny a bushel. Cotton is not being picked because no citizen wants to pick for the price of picking. Rotten olives dangle from trees, orange prices are lower then the production prices and Americans aren’t burning coal, because it is now cheaper to burn grain. The plan for the Agricultural Adjustment Act is to pay farmers not to plant crops like so in previous years. We would like to restore the American farmer power of purchase. I plan to level out the nation’s balance of supply and demand for farm values, this would be known as parity. This means farmers would be bringing more money to the table, farmers would be making a living off of their job. The Agricultural Adjustment Act or known as the “AAA,” will plan to control some of life’s most basic crops- corn, milk, wheat, rice, cotton, peanuts and tobacco. The effects of the Great Depression hit farmers hard, and there incomes were very low. Farmers who participate will also get benefits for slaughtering excessive livestock. Along side this new piece of legislation is the National Industrial Recovery Act, also known as the NIRA, which is also a part of the AAA relief package. American citizens will also be beneficially taxed for their reduction of acreage. All proceeds from this tax will enhance the farmers’ power of purchase and will reduce supplies by raising commodity prices. I plan for this new piece of legislation to take effect as soon as possible.


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During WWII, many at home families needed to help out with the war effort, so many planted what was known as a “ Victory Garden .” A Victory  Garden was a garden that was planted specifically for our American soldiers and the Allied forces in a foreign country. Because we could not just plant vegetables anywhere, these gardens were very important. During WWII, many at home families needed to help out with the war effort, so many planted what was known as a “ Victory Garden .” A Victory  Garden was a garden that was planted specifically for our American soldiers and the Allied forces in a foreign country. Many Americans contributed to this war effort, and planted these gardens on rooftops, in their backyards, and empty lots. Some Victory Gardens also “came back” from the World War 1! We felt like this was our patriotic duty. Rationing food was very important also, because most of our food went to the troops in foreign countries. Some foods that were rationed were eggs, meats, butter, cheese, milk, coffee, sugar, and canned goods. Many people were urged to can their own vegetables, and to purchase pressure cookers, and over 315,000 were bought! The government and businesses considered family gardening a community effort. The department of Agriculture thought that there were around 20 million Victory Gardens planted. Nine-ten million tons of fruits and vegetables came from homes and community lots. The government knew that this was a program that made a difference! Some people found that this made it hard to find fresh produce, but this made people do their part on the home front. Planting Victory Gardens was thought to teach young people that this was a, moral thing, and even the littlest bit of help was still motioned as helping the was effort. In 1943, surveys showed that 42% of fresh fruits and vegetables came from Victory Gardens. There were five main goals the National Victory  Garden from planned: 1. Fewer needs on vegetable supplies thus making it more convenient for our Troops. 2. Lower needs on commercial food processing and canning supplies. 3. Ease the need for railroad transportation by letting go produce carriers. 4. Keep Americans fed on the home front through nutritious fruits and vegetables. 5. Conserve fruits and vegetables for future emergencies. Gardening was pride. They were not just for poor people now; they were for everybody that needed food at this time. Actually, gardening had some health benefits as well; it was good for the mental and physical well-being. It kept families busy and productive. With a family member off at war, this also kept people feeling patriotic, and sort of in a “no fear” attitude with Americans feelings toward the war. A positive thing about Victory Gardens was the seed sales went up about 300%, and around 5.5 million American citizens joined in the production of fruits and vegetables. During WWII, planting these gardens was stylish, but unfortunately, when WWII ended, so did the stylish gardening. Many people continued with their normal lives, and planted “normal” gardens again. Because some Victory Gardens were planted on loaned land, families needed to pay back the owner of that land. But just because some Americans had quit with gardening with a patriotic purpose, didn’t mean that urban gardens had left the scene as well!

"Victory Gardens." //Welcome to the Wessels Living History Farm//. Web. 21 Dec. 2009. [].

"5. World War II: Victory gardens the second time around…." //Sprouts in the Sidewalk//. Web. 21 Dec. 2009. .