General Discussion

Protecting workers: FDR's principal goal was to prevent employers from abusing workers by paying extremely low wages. He famously stated, “no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country”.

Defining a "living wage": He clarified that a living wage was "more than a bare subsistence level—I mean the wages of decent living". He intended for the wage to support fully employed adult men and women, not just part-time or teenage workers.

Boosting the economy: The minimum wage was also seen as a tool for economic recovery. By increasing workers' purchasing power, they would spend more, which in turn would stimulate the economy and encourage businesses to hire more workers.

Legislation: The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was the landmark legislation that established the first federal minimum wage, though initial attempts to pass similar laws were struck down by the Supreme Court.