Question

Which statement sums up Herbert Hoover's beliefs about the government's role?

Option 1: The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much. It is whether we provide enough for those who have little.
Option 2: ...the very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our government to give employment to idle men.
Option 3: I do not believe that the power and duty of the general government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering.
Option 4: We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out.

Answer 1

The statement that best reflects Herbert Hoover's beliefs about government's role is that he opposed extending government power to individual suffering, aligning with his support for American individualism and minimal intervention during the Great Depression.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that sums up Herbert Hoover's beliefs about the government's role is Option 3: I do not believe that the power and duty of the general government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering. This belief is consistent with Hoover's philosophy of American individualism, where success or failure was seen as predominantly the result of personal effort and character. As president, he stressed the importance of volunteerism and the resilience of the American spirit, resisting government interventions that would provide direct aid to individuals.

Hoover's experience and beliefs led him to view governmental aid as repellant, particularly to the American people who could, in his eyes, overcome hardships through their own resolve. These principles formed the foundation of his response to the Great Depression, an approach characterized by limited government intervention in the economy.