Historians have long contended that the New Deal was one of the most groundbreaking political eras in American History. This course will explore the key characters in that story, from the President himself and his extraordinary wife, Eleanor, to major figures such as Frances Perkins, Harry Hopkins, Henry Wallace, Harold Ickes, and many more. We’ll revisit FDR’s path to the presidency, his policies during the Great Depression and his unprecedented four consecutive landslide elections. The course will feature in-depth reassessments of the most enduring controversies of the era such as economic policy, the ideological character of the New Deal, the struggle for civil rights, clashes with the Supreme Court, and the New Deal’s influence on American life and culture.