1933 in the United States

1933 in the United States
Year	1933
Nation	United States
Caption	Franklin D. Roosevelt takes office in 1933

1933 in the United States

1933 saw transformative political, social, and cultural shifts as Franklin D. Roosevelt assumed the Presidency, while national crises and policy responses reshaped institutions and public life. Major events included emergency legislation, high-profile criminal cases, landmark judicial changes, labor actions, and developments in Hollywood and sports that echoed across New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other regions. The year marked decisive moves in the Great Depression, changes to Prohibition, and initiatives that formed the core of the New Deal.

Incumbents

President: Herbert Hoover (until March 4), Franklin D. Roosevelt (from March 4); Vice President: office vacant (until March 4), John Nance Garner (from March 4); Chief Justice: Charles Evans Hughes; Speaker of the House: John Nance Garner (until March 3), Henry T. Rainey (from March 9); Senate Majority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson; Congress: 72nd (until March 4), 73rd (from March 4).

Events

January–March: Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first 100 days agenda, prompting passage of the Emergency Banking Act and establishment of the FDIC and addressing the Bank Run crisis linked to institutions like Bank of the United States. Roosevelt's inauguration on March 4, following the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution ratification debates, coincided with the controversial repeal movement against Prohibition and actions by the Bureau of Prohibition. The Glass–Steagall Act and creation of the Federal Reserve System reforms dominated legislative sessions convened by leaders such as Henry T. Rainey and Joseph T. Robinson.

April–June: The repeal of Prohibition accelerated with passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution processes and state ratifications, involving state governments in Alabama, Mississippi, and New York. High-profile legal events included the trial and conviction of gang figures associated with the Chicago Outfit and the public spectacle surrounding John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd in press coverage centered in Indiana and Ohio. Labor unrest appeared in strikes involving unions such as the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the American Federation of Labor.

July–September: The Civilian Conservation Corps launched large-scale projects in national parks overseen by the National Park Service, while the Tennessee Valley Authority planning debates involved lawmakers from Tennessee and engineers influenced by Gifford Pinchot school thinking. Landmark administrative actions affecting the Securities and Exchange Commission and financial regulation were debated after the Stock Market Crash of 1929 repercussions.

October–December: International and diplomatic news intersected with domestic policy as the London Economic Conference outcomes and reactions from figures like Cordell Hull influenced trade policy, while the Supreme Court of the United States under Charles Evans Hughes heard challenges to New Deal measures and the public followed cases bearing on constitutional doctrine.

Ongoing and legislative actions (New Deal and Prohibition)

The Roosevelt administration pursued the New Deal legislative program through alliances with leaders John Nance Garner, Henry T. Rainey, and Joseph T. Robinson, producing statutes such as the Emergency Banking Act, the Agricultural Adjustment Act, and the National Industrial Recovery Act that reconfigured agencies including the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Public Works Administration. Simultaneously, ratification processes for the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution progressed across states including Utah, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, ending national Prohibition while prompting regulatory responses from state legislatures and entities like the Bureau of Prohibition and municipal authorities in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. New Deal programs engaged with conservation efforts through the Civilian Conservation Corps and hydroelectric planning tied to the Tennessee Valley Authority, drawing comment from figures such as Al Smith and critics aligned with Business Plot rumors and industrial leaders.

Births

Notable births included entertainers and public figures: Bob Hope-era contemporaries' offspring and scientific figures were born this year alongside cultural icons such as Julie Newmar (actress), Joan Baez (singer), Stephen Sondheim (composer), William Shatner (actor), James Brown (singer), Sally Field-era peers, and political figures including Ralph Nader; sports and academic births included athletes and scholars who later associated with institutions like Harvard University and Yale University.

Deaths

Prominent deaths encompassed statesmen and cultural figures such as former public officials tied to the Progressive Era and industrialists who had engaged with firms like Standard Oil Company and philanthropic foundations; artists and writers from the Harlem Renaissance and early Hollywood also passed, affecting communities in New York City and Los Angeles.

Cultural developments (Arts, Literature, Film, and Sports)

In literature, novels and works by authors linked to the Harlem Renaissance, the Lost Generation, and social realist writers influenced public discourse in venues from The New Yorker to The New Republic. Hollywood studios including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. produced films featuring stars associated with Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, and directors influenced by D. W. Griffith techniques, while the enforcement shift on Prohibition affected nightlife in Las Vegas precursors and cabaret culture in New York City. In music, performers from the Delta blues tradition and the emerging jazz scene in locales like New Orleans and Chicago recorded for labels such as Columbia Records and Victor Talking Machine Company, influencing later artists. Sports saw championships and events in leagues like the Major League Baseball, where figures akin to Babe Ruth and teams from New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs captivated fans, while college football and boxing bouts headlined venues in Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium.

Category:1933 in the United States