experts believed, was to do nothing and let the economy fix itself. Hoover took a
slightly different position. He felt that government could play a limited role in
helping to solve problems.
HOOVER’S PHILOSOPHY
Herbert Hoover had been an engineer, and he put
great faith in the power of reason. He was also a humanitarian, as he made clear
in one of his last speeches as president.
A PERSONAL VOICE HERBERT HOOVER
“ Our first objective must be to provide security from poverty and want. . . . We
want to see a nation built of home owners and farm owners. We want to see their
savings protected. We want to see them in steady jobs. We want to see more and
more of them insured against death and accident, unemployment and old age. We
want them all secure.
”
—“Challenge to Liberty,” October 1936
Like many Americans of the time, Hoover believed that one of government’s chief
functions was to foster cooperation between competing groups and interests in
society. If business and labor were in a conflict, for example, government should
step in and help them find a solution that served their mutual interests. This
cooperation must be voluntary rather than forced, he said. Government’s role was
to encourage and facilitate cooperation, not to control it.
On the other hand, Americans also valued “rugged
individualism”—the idea that people should succeed
through their own efforts. They should take care of them-
selves and their families, rather than depend on the gov-
ernment to bail them out. Thus, Hoover opposed any form
of federal welfare, or direct relief to the needy. He believed
that handouts would weaken people’s self-respect and
“moral fiber.” His answer to the needy was that individuals,
charities, and local organizations should pitch in to help
care for the less fortunate. The federal government should
direct relief measures, but not through a vast federal
bureaucracy. Such a bureaucracy, he said, would be too
expensive and would stifle individual liberties.
However, when the Depression took hold, moral fiber
wasn’t what people were worried about. Hoover’s response
shocked and frustrated suffering Americans.
HOOVER TAKES CAUTIOUS STEPS
Hoover’s political
philosophy caused him to take a cautious approach to the
depression. Soon after the stock market crash, he called
together key leaders in the fields of business, banking, and
labor. He urged them to work together to find solutions to
the nation’s economic woes and to act in ways that would
not make a bad situation worse. For example, he asked
employers not to cut wages or lay off workers, and he asked
labor leaders not to demand higher wages or go on strike.
He also created a special organization to help private chari-
ties generate contributions for the poor.
None of these steps made much of a difference. A year
after the crash, the economy was still shrinking, and unem-
ployment was still rising. More companies went out of busi-
ness, soup kitchens became a common sight, and general
misery continued to grow. Shantytowns arose in every city,
and hoboes continued to roam.
The Great Depression Begins 685
A
A. Answer
Hoover believed
that reason
could solve
problems, that
government
should foster
cooperation
between com-
peting groups,
and that individ-
uals, charities,
and private
organizations
should help
care for the less
fortunate.
MAIN IDEA
MAIN IDEA
A
Summarizing
What were
some of Hoover’s
key convictions
about government?
K
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L
A
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R
K
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P
L
A
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HERBERT HOOVER
1874–1964
Born to a Quaker family in Iowa,
Herbert Hoover was orphaned
at an early age. His life was a
rags-to-riches story. He worked
his way through Stanford
University and later made a for-
tune as a mining engineer and
consultant in China, Australia,
Europe, and Africa. During and
after World War I, he coordinated
U.S. relief efforts in Europe,
earning a reputation for efficiency
and humanitarian ideals.
As president, Hoover asserted,
“Every time we find solutions
outside of government, we have
not only strengthened character,
but we have preserved our
sense of real government.”
