Great Depression: A severe economic downturn that lasted from 1929 to the late 1930s, characterized by high unemployment rates, widespread poverty, and a significant decline in industrial production.
Social Security Act: A key component of the New Deal reform, it created a system of social insurance that provided financial assistance to elderly retirees through regular payments funded by workers' payroll taxes.
Public Works Administration (PWA): An agency established under the New Deal that focused on infrastructure projects like building roads, bridges, dams, schools, and hospitals. It aimed at creating jobs while improving public facilities.