The message of this speech was that he wants to inform the people of America the every day working of banks, he informed the people about what the banking situation was and why it stood as it did.
The purpose of this speech was to justify Roosevelt's own actions it was also to instil confidence back to the people. This in turn would help to restore the fast deterioration of the current situation.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933. Lietuvių: Frankl...
N_53_15_5223 Franklin D Roosevelt and Josephus Dan...
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt prohibited rac...The purpose affects the content and delivery, because Roosevelt was trying to justify his actions and inform people of the current situation. Roosevelt delivers his speech in a friendly and considerate manor, the manner in which he makes the chat gives people the impression that they can trust Roosevelt and he cares for there troubles. Roosevelt delivers his chat in such a manor that he is inviting the everyday Americans to tell him their troubles. We receive the impression by his delivery that he is spreading hope to the people of America.
This chat is biased in favour of Roosevelt because his own beliefs are shown as right and he gives no credit to anything else that may have been said. The chat is also much in favour of the banks as Roosevelt is persistent with the idea that the people should trust the banks even though many of them have lost most if not all of their savings.
What where the problems in the banking system in 1933:
They loaned money to people who where hoping to make money of the stock exchange, but their ventures did not profit.
Many people had little faith in banks as they did not understand how they ran.
Banks could not keep up the demand of paying out money once the panic began.
The bank where unclear to the people concerning what was happening and this lead to a lack of confidence in the banking system.
How did Roosevelt and his advisors attempt to solve the problem:
They tried to return confidence back to the banking system and therefore back to the people.
Roosevelt explained to the people of America how the banks where run.
Roosevelt gave the people a banking holiday in order to return calm and quell the fear.
Roosevelt also gave loans to the banks that where reopened.
How successful was Roosevelt's banking policy towards banking:
He was successful in restoring confidence in the people.
He was also successful in keeping the reopened banks up and running.
Limitations as evidence.
Roosevelt's fireside chat has many limitations as reliable evidence. This is because what makes it unreliable also gives it limitations. The speech has these limitations because the 'chat' has many biased accounts and is I reality just a secular point of view on a very important issue. This chat confirms the belief that Roosevelt wanted people to understand his point of view and reasons for what he was doing, while the chat helps confirm and bring optimism it also leaves out any alarming information that may have caused a panic, so it cannot be seen as reliable information, and it also limits how relevant this information actually is.
Does it give good information?
The content of the speech is a good indication as to what was occurring at this time. Because it has such interesting content we are able to understand what Roosevelt was doing at this time and we can understand why he was taking the measures he was. It also gives information about the peoples actions prior to and during the collapse, we also receive a good understanding of the general panic that many people where feeling.
In comparison to other sources what do they suggest?
The fireside chat when in comparison with other sources is accurate and consistent. In an array of sources it is reflected that Roosevelt's main aim was to firstly stop any further collapse by introducing the Banking Holliday, and secondly restore confidence to the people through these fireside chats and lastly reopen and help the more trusted banks.
How relevant is the fireside chat?
The chat was very relevant to the people of America however the actual content was half expression and half content. The expression of the text was Roosevelt telling the people to have faith and let him reassure them that the worst had passed. Because Roosevelt was taking actions toward stopping the collapse such as the banking holiday and reopening the bank these things were seen as the more visible steps towards normalcy and the clearing up of the bank problems. There where also unseen steps being taken and these where Roosevelt restoring confidence into the people and these unseen steps where just as relevant as he was giving the people hope.
How reliable is the content?
The fireside chat is very reliable evidence considering it is a firsthand account and a recording of the actual event. It is relevant as evidence as it gives us a feeling of what Roosevelt was telling the people at the time. However the information is also unreliable for the exact same reason as Roosevelt may have been only telling the people the information that was to aid and bring comfort, in this way he was only telling the people what they wanted to hear.
N_53_16_3687 Franklin D Roosevelt at Depot 1932
J. F. Bando letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt in rea...
Franklin D. Roosevelt having a fireside chat in Wa...