https://www.wikipedia.org/ First New Deal (1933–1934) On his second day in office, Roosevelt declared a four-day national "bank holiday" and called for a special session of Congress to start March 9, on which date Congress passed the Emergency Banking Act.[154] The act, which was based on a plan developed by the Hoover administration and Wall Street bankers, gave the president the power to determine the opening and closing of banks and authorized the Federal Reserve Banks to issue bank notes.[155] The ensuing "First 100 Days" of the 73rd United States Congress saw an unprecedented amount of legislation[156] and set a benchmark against which future presidents would be compared.[157] When the banks reopened on Monday, March 15, stock prices rose by 15 percent and bank deposits exceeded withdrawals, thus ending the bank panic.[158] On March 22, Roosevelt signed the Cullen–Harrison Act, which effectively ended federal Prohibition.[159] Roosevelt presided over the establishment of several agencies and measures designed to provide relief for the unemployed and others in need. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), under the leadership of Harry Hopkins, was designed to distribute relief to state governments.[160] The Public Works Administration (PWA), under the leadership of Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, was created to oversee the construction of large-scale public works such as dams, bridges, and schools.[160] The most popular of all New Deal agencies – and Roosevelt's favorite – was the