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Huey Pierce Long, Jr. (August 30, 1893 – September 10, 1935), nicknamed The Kingfish, was an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a member of the United States Senate from 1932 until his assassination in 1935. A Democrat, he was an outspoken left-wing populist. During his tenure, he commanded large networks of supporters and was willing to take forceful action, influencing claims that he was a political boss.Long is best known for his Share Our Wealth program, created in 1934 under the motto "Every Man a King." It proposed new wealth redistribution measures in the form of a net asset tax on corporations and individuals to curb the poverty and homelessness endemic nationwide during the Great Depression. To stimulate the economy, Long advocated federal spending on public works, schools and colleges, and old age pensions. He was an ardent critic of the policies of the Federal Reserve System.A supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election, Long split with Roosevelt in June 1933 to plan his own presidential bid for 1936. However, Long was assassinated in 1935 and his national movement soon faded.Under Long's leadership in Louisiana, hospitals and educational institutions were expanded, a system of charity hospitals was set up that provided health care for the poor, massive highway construction and free bridges brought an end to rural isolationism, and free textbooks for schoolchildren were introduced to tackle illiteracy.Long arrived in Washington, D.C. to take his seat in the United States Senate in January 1932. With the backdrop of the Great Depression, he made characteristically fiery speeches which denounced the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. He also criticized the leaders of both parties for failing to address the crisis adequately, most notably attacking conservative Senate Democratic Leader Joseph Robinson of Arkansas for his apparent closeness with President Herbert Hoover and ties to big business. Robinson had been the vice-presidential candidate in 1928 on the Democratic ticket opposite Hoover.Long had now earned a reputation as "a leading member of the progressive bloc in the Senate." In the presidential election of 1932, Long became a vocal supporter of the candidacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He believed Roosevelt to be the only candidate willing and able to carry out the drastic redistribution of wealth that Long believed was necessary to end the Great Depression.In the critical 100 days in spring 1933 Long was generally a strong supporter of the New Deal, but the two men broke in late 1933. Aware that Roosevelt had no intention to radically redistribute the country's wealth, Long became one of the few national politicians to oppose Roosevelt's New Deal policies from the left. He considered them inadequate in the face of the escalating economic crisis. Long sometimes supported Roosevelt's programs in the Senate, saying that "[W]henever this administration has gone to the left I have voted with it, and whenever it has gone to the right I have voted against it."Roosevelt considered Long a radical demagogue. The president privately said of Long that along with General Douglas MacArthur, "[H]e was one of the two most dangerous men in America."Not one of his proposed bills, resolutions or motions was passed during his three years in the Senate despite an overwhelming Democratic majority.In 1934, he unveiled an economic plan he called Share Our Wealth. Long argued there was enough wealth in the country for every individual to enjoy a comfortable standard of living, but that it was unfairly concentrated in the hands of a few millionaire bankers, businessmen and industrialists.To the outrage of the Klan and its sympathizers, Huey Long’s programs to uplift the poor meant that African Americans received public education, healthcare, tax exemptions, and the opportunity to vote free of charge (al
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Literature, Primary Source, and Biography Readings Chapter 25 147
Name _______________________________________ Class ____________ Date ____________
2525The New Deal
PRIMARY SOURCE READING
“Every Man a King”For all his posing and bluster, Huey Long espoused acore American value—the idea that every person,rich or poor, should be given the chance to besuccessful. Unfortunately, Long’s plan for bringingabout this success was rather haphazard. His belief inbig government as opposed to big business called forfederal sanctions on individual wealth. For example,Long felt that no private fortune should exceed $50million, no inheritance should exceed $5 million, andno annual income should exceed $1 million. Insteadthe extra funds would be put toward running thegovernment and subsidizing poorer Americans.Needless to say, this philosophy was not popular withthe many rich Americans whose goal was to make asmuch money as possible.
The Congressional Record—February 5, 1934
—Huey P. Long, U.S. Senator
People of America: In every community gettogether at once and organize a share-our-wealth society—Motto: every man a king
Principals and platform:
1. To limit poverty by providing that everydeserving family shall share in the wealth ofAmerica for not less than one third of theaverage wealth, thereby to possess not lessthan $5,000 free of debt.
2. To limit fortunes to such a few million dollars as will allow the balance of theAmerican people to share in the wealth andprofits of the land.
3. Old-age pensions of $30 per month topersons over 60 years of age who do notearn as much as $1,000 per year or whopossess less than $10,000 in cash or prop-erty, thereby to remove from the field
of labor in times of unemployment thosewho have contributed their share to thepublic service.
4. To limit the hours of work to such an extentas to prevent overproduction and to givethe workers of America some share in therecreations, conveniences, and luxuries oflife.
5. To balance agricultural production withwhat can be sold and consumed accordingto the laws of God, which have never failed.
6. To care for the veterans of our wars.7. Taxation to run the Government to be sup-
ported, first, by reducing big fortunes fromthe top, thereby to improve the country and provide employment in public workswhenever agricultural surplus is such as torender unnecessary, in whole or in part, anyparticular crop.
Simple and Concrete—Not an Experiment
To share our wealth by providing for everydeserving family to have one third of the aver-age wealth would mean that, at the worst, sucha family could have a fairly comfortable home,an automobile, and a radio, with other reason-able home conveniences, and a place to edu-cate their children. Through sharing the work,that is, by limiting the hours of toil so that allwould share in what is made and produced inthe land, every family would have enoughcoming in every year to feed, clothe, and pro-vide a fair share of the luxuries of life to itsmembers. Such is the result to a family, at theworst.
From the worst to the best there would beno limit to opportunity. One might become amillionaire or more. There would be a chancefor talent to make a man big, because enoughwould be floating in the land to give brains itschance to be used. As it is, no matter how smarta man may be, everything is tied up in so few
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Chapter 25, Primary Source Reading, Continued
148 Chapter 25 Literature, Primary Source, and Biography Readings
UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU READ After you have finished reading theselection, answer the following questions in the space provided.
1. How did Long explain his motto “Every Man a King”?
2. What did Long think the government should do for its elderly workers? Why?
3. What did he see as the benefits of reducing the amount of work done in the UnitedStates?
4. For what other major group did Long believe the government should provide care?
5. How did Long intend to stop the problem of overwork?
6. Do you agree with any of the ideas that Long mentions in his program? List the ideasand explain why you agree with them.
ACTIVITYImagine that you have to come up with a plan to improve the way society functions.Think of three government programs you would implement to ensure that all thecitizens of your country were treated as fairly as possible. When you have completedyour assignment, share your ideas with a classmate.
hands that no amount of energy or talent has achance to gain any of it.
Would it break up big concerns? No, itwould simply mean that, instead of one mangetting all the one concern made, that theremight be 1,000 or 10,000 persons sharing in
such excess fortune, any one of whom, or all ofwhom, might be millionaires and over.
From “Huey Long’s Senate Speeches” from The Con-gressional Record, February 5, 1934.
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committed crimes; and were associatedwith “darkness, old houses, speaking inwhispers, and trade unions on strike.”
2. because she was meeting someone in anold, unpainted house with no lights
3. Since the title “sir” often indicates a supe-rior position, Jan might have wanted toindicate that he considered Bigger hisequal.
4. Bigger was hesitant to shake hands withJan and tried to pull his hand awayimmediately. He reacted this way becausehe was confused by Jan’s actions andcould not understand Jan’s motivation forwanting to shake hands.
5. Bigger felt conscious of his “black skin,”which white people had taught him toregard as a “badge of shame,” and whichmade him “hate” himself. He questionedJan and Mary’s motives, thinking theymight be making fun of him. Their behav-ior even affected Bigger physically: “Hestiffened;” “Bigger’s entire body tightenedwith suspense and dread;” ”He flushedwarm with anger;” “He felt he had nophysical existence at all right then.”
6. Bigger felt that they were making fun ofhim and trying to make him feel self-con-scious. He knew that many white peopleconsidered African Americans to be infe-rior, and their insistence on friendshipmade him more aware of prejudice.
ACTIVITYStudents’ scenarios will vary. Possible scenar-ios include a man opening a door for awoman, or a young girl giving up her seat ona crowded train for an older man.
PRIMARY SOURCE1. His motto implied that every American
could make plenty of money and livewell.
2. He wanted to give every American overthe age of 60 who did not earn at least$1,000 per year a pension of $30 permonth. He felt that this would allow theelderly to live decently. At the same time,it would allow them to leave the work-force, which would in turn mean valuable
jobs for younger people in times of eco-nomic slowdown.
3. He believed that applying a limit on workhours would slow down overproductionand also give families time for recreation.
4. war veterans5. by placing a legal limit on the number of
work hours6. Answers will vary, but many students will
respond that Long had plenty of goodideas. They may cite old age pensions andveterans’ benefits as two programs thatare in effect today, via government pro-grams such as Social Security and theVeterans Administration.
ACTIVITYStudents’ ideas for government programs willvary.
BIOGRAPHY1. because she thought it sounded more dig-
nified2. Perkins was first inspired after viewing
the poor working conditions at textile andpaper mills. Her reaction was that shejoined the National Consumers Leagueand lobbied for legislation to improveworking conditions.
3. One possible answer might be that thenumber of deaths caused by the incidenthighlighted the need for better workingconditions and safety standards.
4. She served the longest of any secretary oflabor.
ACTIVITYStudents should describe how unclean andunsafe the mills were for workers and how theemployees were overworked. They should say,as Perkins, how it angered her to see theseworking conditions and how she felt com-pelled to do something to improve their situa-tion, such as work to change the laws.
CHAPTER 26
LITERATURE1. The author is referring to actual wounds
that bullets make. Bullets that enter the
238 Answer Key Literature, Primary Source, and Biography Readings
