Franklin D Roosevelt believed regional economic development like that in the Northwest (i. e the Grand Coulee Dam) would promote economic growth, ease the domestic and working lives of ordinary Americans, and keep control of key natural resources in public rather than private hands. The early Roosevelt administration spent far more money on building roads, dams, airports, bridges, and housing than any other activity. - because of the New Deal, "liberalism" came to define a government that actively tried to uplift those in need instead of a free-market economy and limited government
- ND also made people focus on economic security as a part of American freedom. ND measures included the Social Security Act & Fair Labor Standards Act.
- the ND expanded freedom, but still not to all
- Democratic Party was united by FDR in the 1930s