Social Security, unemployment insurance, the minimum wage, the 40-hour workweek, the abolition of child labor, and workers’ compensation are all part of our lives today. These protections exist in large part because of Frances Perkins. As one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s closest advisors—and a key recruiter of talent for his administration—Perkins helped design and implement many of the policies that transformed the American workplace. This course will explore how she became a passionate advocate for workers and how her long partnership with the Roosevelt administration led to laws and regulations that improved millions of lives. It is also the story of how the federal government expanded its role, helping to unify a collection of independent states into a more cohesive nation. Revisiting Frances Perkins’ role in the New Deal is especially timely today, as the Trump administration and the Republican Congress move to roll back many of the institutions and policies that have shaped American life for more than 90 years.
Class Recordings: