12345678910
"Share Our Wealth" Speech
Huey Long, 1935
Now in the third year of his (FDR) administration, we find more of our people unemployed than at any other time. We find our houses empty and our people hungry, many of them half-clothed and many of them not clothed at all….
We find not only the people going further into debt, but that the United States is going further into debt. The states are going further into debt, and the cities and towns are even going into bankruptcy. The condition has become deplorable. Instead of his promises, the only remedy that Mr. Roosevelt has prescribed is to borrow more money if he can and to go further into debt. The last move was to borrow $5 billion more on which we must pay interest for the balance of our lifetimes, and probably during the lifetime of our children…
That is why the Share Our Wealth societies are forming in every nook and corner of America….They have a great work to perform. Here is what we stand for in a nutshell:
Number one, we propose that every family in America should at least own a homestead equal in value to not less than one third the average family wealth…. So our first proposition means that every family will have a home and the comforts of a home up to a value of not less than around $5,000 or a little more than that.
Number two, we propose that no family shall own more than three hundred times the average family wealth, which means that no family shall possess more than a wealth of approximately $5 million….
Number three, we propose that every family shall have an income equal to at least one third of the average family income in America…. We propose that no family will have an earning of less than around $2,000 to $2,500 and that none will have more than three hundred times the average less the ordinary income taxes, which means that a million dollars would be the limit on the highest income.
What is the social and historical context of this speech?
A) It is given during a time of great national prosperity.
B) It is given during a time of great national unity.
C) It is given during a time of great national poverty.
D) It is given during a time of great national mystery.