- Fair Deal
In
United States history, the Fair Deal was U.S. PresidentHarry S. Truman 's catchphrase for a series of social and economic reforms [ “Fair Deal.” Britannica Online. 30 Mar. 2008. 30 Mar. 2008State of the Union Address to Congress onJanuary 5 ,1949 . Truman stated that "Every segment of our population, and every individual, has a right to expect from his government a fair deal." Despite a mixed record of contemporary legislative success, the Fair Deal remains significant in establishing a call foruniversal health care as a rallying cry for the Democratic Party.Lyndon Johnson credited Truman's unfulfilled program as influencingGreat Society measures such as Medicare that Johnson successfully enacted during the 1960s. [ Hamby 1995] The Fair Deal faced a lot of opposition from the many conservative politicians who wanted a reduced role of the federal government. This series of domestic reforms was a major push to transform the United States from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy. [ “The Fair Deal.” United States History. 30 Mar. 2008The Great Depression . [ De Luna, Phyllis Komarek. Public Versus Private Power During the Truman Administration : a Study of Fair Deal Liberalism. New York: Peter Lang, 1997. 35-36.] As a result of this conservative surge in the United States the policies behind the Fair Deal had strong opposition. Even with strong conservative opposition there were still some legislation from the Fair Deal that were passed. The Fair Deal is a good example ofEconomic interventionism in the United States. TheHousing Act of 1949 is a good example of a type ofEconomic interventionism . This is one of the reasons there was so much opposition to the various legislative items attached to the Fair Deal. This was a major issue in the post-war United States and still proves to be a major issue.Fact|date=October 2008Civil Rights Movement
As Senator, Truman had not supported the nascent Civil Rights Movement. As President, however, he integrated the armed forces and appointed the first federal civil rights committee responsible for investigating discrimination based on race or religion. Its report clearly showed African-Americans' second-rate legal status, and Truman used it to push for his reforms. In a 1947 speech to the
NAACP , which marked the first time a sitting President had ever addressed the group, Truman said "Every man should have the right to a decent home, the right to an education, the right to adequate medical care, the right to a worthwhile job, the right to an equal share in the making of public decisions through the ballot, and the right to a fair trial in a fair court." [cite conference | author=President Truman | title=President Truman's Address to the NAACP, June 28, 1947 | booktitle=National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. | year=1947 |]The Housing Act of 1949
The
Housing Act of 1949 was a major legislative accomplishment stemming from the Fair Deal. This led to the allocation of federal funds to go towards new housing projects, urban renewal, and more public housing. This spawned the growth of urban regions in the post-war United States. Much of the mass urban development that took place during this time can still be seen today. TheHousing Act of 1949 has had a lasting impression on the United States.Fact|date=October 2008ee also
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New Deal
*Housing Act of 1949 References
* Hamby, Alonzo L. "Man of the People: A Life of Harry S Truman" (1995)
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