Read the following excerpts describing possible government responses to an economic crisis. There is, therefore, submitted to the American people a question of fundamental principle. That is, shall we depart from the principles of our American political and economic system, upon which we have advanced beyond all the rest of the world, in order to adopt methods based on principles destructive of its very foundations? And I wish to make my position clear; for this goes to the very roots of American life and progress. I should like to state to you the effect that this projection of government in business would have upon our system of self-government and our economic system.

–Herbert C. Hoover
From The New Day, 1928

I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis—broad executive power to wage a war against the emergency as great as the power that would be given me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.

–Franklin D. Roosevelt
First Inaugural Address, 1933

President Hoover’s words serve as evidence that he was

prepared to take any measure to combat the destructive effects of an economic downturn.
reluctant to have the federal government intervene in the business life of the nation.
searching for ways in which the federal government might help businesses hire more workers.
dismissive of the relationship between government regulations and personal liberty.