Planning for Peace at Home

With the war's end in sight, FDR began to turn his mind to the postwar world - and an expansion of the New Deal.

In his 1944 State of the Union Address, he proposed an "Economic Bill of Rights." He called for government to guarantee economic security to all Americans, including the right to a job at adequate pay, the right to health care, and the right to decent housing and education. In July 1944, FDR achieved part of this agenda when Congress passed the "GI Bill of Rights." It provided millions of veterans with free health care, college tuition, and low-interest loans for homes, small businesses, and farms. The "GI Bill" gave an entire generation the means to enter the middle class.