Quiz for Thinking Like a Historian:
The New Deal and Public Works

Question

1. In source 1, Harold Ickes, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of the interior, makes a case for the benefits of which of the following?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is a. In these remarks, Ickes issued a brief defense of New Deal liberalism, which operated on the assumption that government action to guarantee the welfare of all citizens was necessary for the preservation of individual liberties.
Incorrect. The answer is a. In these remarks, Ickes issued a brief defense of New Deal liberalism, which operated on the assumption that government action to guarantee the welfare of all citizens was necessary for the preservation of individual liberties.

Question

2. Sources 1 and 5 suggest that the New Deal’s programs would lead to which of the following outcomes?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is d. Both Ickes and Lilienthal suggest that the New Deal’s programs will bring about the fulfillment of individuals’ “hopes and aspirations and legitimate desires” (Ickes) and “the development of the individual, according to his own talents, aspirations, and willingness to carry the responsibilities of a free man” (Lilienthal).
Incorrect. The answer is d. Both Ickes and Lilienthal suggest that the New Deal’s programs will bring about the fulfillment of individuals’ “hopes and aspirations and legitimate desires” (Ickes) and “the development of the individual, according to his own talents, aspirations, and willingness to carry the responsibilities of a free man” (Lilienthal).

Question

3. What does source 2 suggest about who would benefit from the New Deal?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is a. This cartoon shows the working man, the engine of prosperity, and business weighed down by the lazy woman supported by taxes. It suggests that the New Deal would support the lazy at the expense of the rest of American society.
Incorrect. The answer is a. This cartoon shows the working man, the engine of prosperity, and business weighed down by the lazy woman supported by taxes. It suggests that the New Deal would support the lazy at the expense of the rest of American society.

Question

4. Progressive-era reformers typically viewed industrialization as the source of social ills. These sources suggest that New Dealers viewed industrialization as

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is c. Many of these sources suggest that supporters of the New Deal, such as Ickes, the WPA draftsman interviewed in source 3, the muralist who created source 4, and Lilienthal, believed that industrialization had caused problems, but that it could also be harnessed to bring about prosperity, happiness, and individual fulfillment.
Incorrect. The answer is c. Many of these sources suggest that supporters of the New Deal, such as Ickes, the WPA draftsman interviewed in source 3, the muralist who created source 4, and Lilienthal, believed that industrialization had caused problems, but that it could also be harnessed to bring about prosperity, happiness, and individual fulfillment.