In 1932, America was three years into the Great Depression. The presidential election that year presented a choice between Republican Herbert Hoover and Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hoover's actions as president did little to affect the depression or instill hope in the public. Roosevelt won the election after promising a "New Deal" for America. His administration enacted a series of legislation to combat the depression and aid those in need. This legislation included increased government spending …showed first 75 words of 1997 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1997 total…decade, the national debt had tripled, and Reagan and Bush were forced to consider tax increases to reduce deficit spending (TS 1256). The billions in spending cuts that did take effect contributed to homelessness and the increase of Americans living in poverty (TS 1250). America had rejected the option to erase the New Deal by defeating Goldwater in 1964. Reagan's reluctance to attack major social programs recognized the permanence of the New Deal as a part of society.