Rediscovering FDR's Legacy: A Response to Amity Shlaes' The Forgotten Man

Adam Sasiadek, St. John's University School of Law

Abstract

Amity Shlaes’ The Forgotten Man is one of the most significant revisionist works of American history ever written. It is frequently cited as evidence of why American policymakers should not allow the spirit of the New Deal to determine public policy in this time of economic crisis. Shlaes discuses how Franklin Roosevelt’s domestic economic policies failed to provide a true economic recovery, and permanently changed American political dynamics in favor of interest groups, such as organized labor, at the expense of the “Forgotten Men” who have to bear the costs of the new legislation. And she places a strong emphasis on Roosevelt’s inconsistent use and abuse of power, such as his “court packing” scheme. But her analytical first principles are not entirely consistent with the reality of America’s experiences at that time. Roosevelt did much to alleviate the misery of the American people, and there is wisdom in the conventional wisdom concerning the New Deal. Perhaps most significantly, it preserved a political and economic stability in which the Constitution could continue to be a viable charter. The flaws found in Roosevelt and his administration should not distract us from the issue of whether the New Deal was good for the nation. Yet the influence of America’s classical liberal devotion to individual rights also helped fight the Depression and preserve our political and legal system. Both the progressive and libertarian strains in America’s political DNA were at work, and neither extreme prevailed. Rather, in the tension between individual and collective rights, there were developments that support classical liberalism and government interventionism.