In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Not only did many people credit the program with helping them to survive the Great Depression, but many people also highlighted that the United States was left with many buildings, art, and a richer history because of the workers of the WPA. Created by President Franklin Roosevelt to relieve the economic hardship of the Great Depression, this national works program (renamed the Work Projects Administration beginning in 1939) employed more than 8.5 million people on 1.4 million public projects before it was disbanded in 1943. In the early years of the Great Depression Williams returned to the South where he coordinated activities of President Hoover's Reconstruction Finance Corporation in bringing economic relief to people of Texas and Mississippi. On opening night the cast and crew arrived to a locked theater. Liberals felt that the low wages were unacceptable. Roosevelt and Hopkins disagreed. Harry Hopkins, formerly head of the CWA, took on the WPA and . It was Olive Stanton, the actress who was to sing the opening song. They built almost 600,000 miles in new roads and repaired 32,000 miles of existing roads. Some of this was intentional. The . The WPA had had from two to three million on its rolls. The best known and most lasting of the works of art created under FAP were the murals painted in public buildings across the nation. In addition, the residential centers provided cultural enrichment programs. In 1939 the Works Progress Administration altered its name to Work Projects Administration. In 1935 he was appointed National Director of the Federal Art Project (FAP) of the WPA. As the House Committee on Un-American Activities began hearings on Federal One, the FTP was singled out for particular criticism. Fortune reported, as a result of a survey in 1937, that more than two thirds of the workers on relief had at some time held one job for more than five years. As weapons production for World War II began ramping up and unemployment dropped, the federal government decided a national relief program was no longer needed. . First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt lobbied FDR to sign the executive order establishing Federal One. 75 percent of the WPA workforce worked on engineering and construction projects. With the high unemployment of the 1930s, many youth were both not in school and not working. The Federal Writers' Project and the Federal Theatre Project were of particular interest. From 1936 to 1944 she held the position of Director of the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration, making her the first black American woman to become a federal agency head. PWAP and later Federal One combined the economic desire to provide assistance, a renewed interest in democracy, and an interest in the development and exploration of American culture. Many of the projects completed under Federal One documented some aspect of American culture such as its folklore or its music. Women engaged in sewing projects made up about seven percent of the national WPA workforce. The program collected interviews, articles and notes on Black American life in the South, including oral histories from people who were formerly enslaved. President Roosevelt's works progress administration of 1935 considered many infrastructure programs for the benefit of the U.S. citizens. During its eight-year existence, the WPA put some 8.5 million people to work (over 11 million were unemployed in 1934) at a cost to the federal government of approximately $11 billion. WPA workers built or repaired 1.2 million miles of culverts and laid 24,000 miles of sidewalks. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/works-progress-administration-1935-1943. Gustaitis, Joseph. The WPA also had a requirement that only one member of a family could be employed, which inadvertently discriminated against women. Before his art could earn him income, American painter Jackson Pollock worked for the WPAs Federal Arts Project, a component of Federal One. The WPA offered projects targeted at unemployed artists, musicians, writers and actors. She later praised the project in columns and speeches and defended it against critics who saw the arts as a waste of money. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999. By 1936 the Federal Art Project employed more than six thousand artists. Traditional conservatives included the Liberty League and many Republicans who saw the WPA as a means of undermining the capitalist system. This Timberline Lodge marks a venture that was made possible by W.P.A., emergency relief work, in order that we may test the workability of recreational facilities installed by the Government itself and operated under its complete control. Dies and Thomas believed that the projects were subversive. New York: Random House, 1941. It seemed that there was nothing Americans could not do. Throughout its brief history, the WPA wrestled with how to make the jobs sufficiently attractive to boost the morale of the unemployed workers, without making them so attractive that the workers would prefer them to private employment. Many had lost not only their jobs, but their also their savings and homes and were dependent on relief money from the government to survive. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1998. But it also considered The Federal Project Number One. Woodward left the WPA in December 1938 when President Roosevelt appointed her on the Social Security Board. Final Report on the WPA Program, 19351943. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The Roosevelt Administration saw the pervasiveness of the Great Depression and the depth of the problem as being too much for states to bear alone. In a radio address on October 12, 1933, Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt's friend, advisor, director of the Federal Relief Emergency Administration (FERA), and future head of the WPA, said (as quoted in June Hopkins, p. 163): "Who are these fellow-citizens? The 1920s also saw dramatic growth in the amount and diversity of art and music throughout the United States and the world. By 1935 nearly 500,000 women were employed in work relief involving sewing, gardening and canning, and public healthcare among other activities. This form of relief should not, of course, take the shape of a dole in any respect. But Federal One comprised a small part of WPA expenditures: Roughly $27 million of the nearly $5 billion that had been earmarked for WPA work programs went to the arts. Almost every corner of the United States realized some improvement due to the WPA workers. Learn about the history and effects of the Works Progress Administration in the American Midwest during the Great Depression, Discover how Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration helped flourish museums in America, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Works-Progress-Administration, Texas State Historical Association - Handbook of Texas - Work Projects Administration, America's Story from America's Library - The Works Progress Administration, EH.net - The Works Progress Administration, Ohio History Central - Works Progress Administration, Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture - Works Progress Administration (WPA), African American Registry - The Works Progress Administration, A Beginning for Many. the government plays a very active role in shaping the economy The controversy surrounding the FTP's productions and the WPA in general resulted in questions of Communist influence. Highway workers are often deplored as wasting time and prolonging projectsnot unlike the criticisms of the WPA workers digging a hole just to fill it. Later it added the one-act play unit, dance theatre, the Theater for the Blind, marionette theatre, a Yiddish vaudeville unit, a German unit, an Anglo-Jewish theater, and the Radio Division, among other groups. Ellen Woodward (18??1971). Undeniably, a variety of opinions, including Communist views, were regularly being expressed in America in the 1930s. Director of the Historical Records Survey of the WPA, Evans, a Southerner from Alabama, was known for his efforts to promote racial equality within the program. Some Americans felt that these people were simply avoiding getting a "real job.". He represents millions of employable men and women, white-collar workers and laborers, skilled mechanics, scientists, experienced and inexperienced workers, who, having lost their jobs and exhausted their private resources, have needed employment on WPA projects to tide them over a desperate period . Track course progress. Which of the following was a criticism of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)? In 1933 they had set up the Public Works Art Project (PWAP), under the administration of the Treasury Department. Kazacoff, George. We are just agents of America, doing a job, and in a crisis like thisbecause when we have ten or eleven million people out of work don't let anybody tell you this isn't still a crisiswe have been given the greatest opportunity to serve not only the people but the nation, that we will every have again in our lives. Furthermore, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) sponsored projects in the arts by employing thousands of writers, musicians, actors, and other skilled artists. by damaging factory machines how did striking labor unions often prevent companies from using scabs in the 1930s? The specific characteristics of the WPA, however, particularly its specific inclusion of artists and actors, grew out of the 1920s. Youth were strictly supervised and taught "how to live" as well as how to make a living. What if the government-sponsored art was bad art? Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. United States had a hard time thinking of singing and dancing as work, much less work requiring work relief and federal support. Engendering Culture: Manhood and Womanhood in New Deal Public Art and Theater. The Federal Theatre Project, the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Writers' Project and the Historical Records Survey were, variously, praised and criticized, and always controversial. Do Americans really like to work, or would they rather loaf? Roosevelt had wrestled with poverty and joblessness as governor of New York, implementing a number of innovative programs that would become models for future federal programs. Franklin Roosevelt believed accepting relief without working for it undermines the self-esteem of the recipient. The Dies Committee placed Representative Clifton Woodrum in charge of the investigation. Small concessions, such as work relief, delayed the revolution. Toward the end of the hearings, Hallie Flanagan, director of the Federal Theatre Project was called to testify. Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal. The Work Projects Administration was originally named the Works Progress Administration when it was established as a national agency on May 6, 1935, by an executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Many of the newly established regional orchestras survived the cancellation of the FMP, and a few still existed at the end of the twentieth century. Not only the tangible projectsthe murals, the transcripts from history, the plays, and the buildingsremain, but also the ideas about the role of government in the lives of its citizens. In the early 1940s many of the WPA projects were transferred to various wartime agencies. Transcribed as told to the FWP writers with dialect and slang included, the Narratives generally include just a brief observation by the writer. Artists created motivational posters and painted murals of U.S. national parks and American scenes in public buildings. The early 1930s were a tumultuous time. The Federal Music Project (FMP) was the least controversial of the Federal One projects. They'd better be, for it takes a long time to get America straightened out. As a result accusations of "communism" grew toward the end of the 1930s. President Herbert Hoover (served 19291933) appointed her to the White House Conference on Child Health in 1930. These programs, collectively called Federal One, allowed the various types of artists to work in the areas of their profession. That success was largely due to Mary McLeod Bethune. Only 25 per cent were rated unemployable, the principal reasons for this being old age and poor health. Woodward served as a top administrator of the Mississippi State Board of Development from 1926 to 1933. Jacksonville, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. The work was sometimes wonderful, often bad, and occasionally very critical of America, capitalism, and the government. They built 75,000 bridges and repaired another 42,000. Discuss the pros and cons involved in government-sponsored art. New York City: Cambridge University Press, 1994. answer choices It created unnecessary projects just to employ people Too much public funding went to a few companies Too few people found employment due to residency requirements It failed to create any lasting public benefits Question 8 30 seconds Q. Are they tramps? To reduce Works Progress Administration employment to 1,600,000 workers, therefore, it will be necessary for 260,000 Works Progress Administration workers to find jobs over and above seasonal expectations. But as the House Subcommittee on Un-American Activities began to investigate the WPA and ultimately disband the FTP, the concern of government-sponsored art was raised anew. In the wake of the hearings, Congress passed the 1940 Emergency Relief Appropriations Act. Having grown up in Washington, DC, Woodward developed an interest in public affairs. The Federal Writers' Project ( FWP) was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers during the Great Depression. Hopkins was a social worker with years of experience directing relief and work relief programs, many of those years for Roosevelt in New York. But the WPA was also something more than a work relief program, and that was also part of the design. Hopkins was an advocate of relief programs that provided work for the unemployed and trained the unskilled. In 1943, with the virtual elimination of unemployment by a wartime economy, the WPA was terminated. New York City: Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Inc., 1986. The investigations of complaints turn up a surprisingly small number of actual cases of laziness or even of unwillingness to leave the WPA for the risks of private employment. At its height, Federal One employed 5,300 visual artists and related professionals. Holger Cahill (18931960). American labor seeks no charity, but only a chance to work for its living. Previous New Deal work relief programs had been left largely to the states to administer. Others were involved in arts education and research. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. America had emerged from World War I (19141918) with strength and a world mission. A month after taking office, the Roosevelt Administration launched the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Once inside, the piano was placed on stage, and Marc Blitzstein prepared to perform. Instead of providing money to sustain someone without a job, work relief programs provided a job, allowing the participant to earn money. The cast, crew, and the audience (and the piano in a truck) began a parade to the new theater. Living Newspapers provided a strong example of the controversy found in the expression of ideas in theatrethose very ideas that ultimately led to the demise of the FTP. The answer to both questions was the WPA.. By choosing to apply for a position within the Works Progress Administration, applicants were indicating that their situation was such that they required the wages to survive. Murals depicted workers and, sometimes, union organizers. By that time, unemployment was less than two percent as many Americans transitioned to work in the armed services and defense industries. They were meant to incite citizens to anger against the government. They wanted everyone to be able to enjoy a good Shakespeare play or to see a Rembrandt. example in defense of the WPA, the following excerpts are from an article by David Cushman Coyle published in the March 1939 issue of the journal Forum entitled "The WPALoafers or Workers?" Having the strong support of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Woodward established jobs programs for women in every state of the nation. Ellen Woodward, who headed the Women's Division of the FERA and the CWA and later the Women's Division of the WPA, proposed 250 job categories appropriate for women. In 1931 New York Governor Roosevelt appointed the former social worker as the executive director of the New York State Temporary Emergency Relief Administration. The idea of unionizing American workers was gaining acceptance in some areas. (ed.). Projects were not carefully chosen or properly supervised. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Essays of the WPA, by Ralph Ellison, Dorothy West, and Other Voices of a Generation. Bustard, Bruce I. (April 12, 2023). The New Deal's WPA was most importantly a work relief program. The cultural programs of Federal One were designed to address this gap. 170174). The WPA also sponsored the National Youth Administration, which sought part-time jobs for young people. Businesses and banks had closed, production and sales of goods and services had been severely reduced. The FWP writers prepared a complete set of A criticism of the works progress administration's creation and infrastructure jobs was that the program gave too much power to the government. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/works-progress-administration-1935-1943, "Works Progress Administration 1935-1943 Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. The FAP murals represented a renewed interest in American life. The aim of critique is to open up what we can imagine. By design the subjects many painted were subjects from everyday life: a fishery, or steel workers, or the poor. Like many other FTP productions, Triple-A Plowed Under was a great success, but was criticized as Communist propaganda because of its themes of hunger and starvation. Historians generally think of the New Deal as having two parts: the first part dedicated to bringing broad strokes of immediate relief to the devastating issues plaguing America; the second part putting strategies in place for the reshaping of public policy in America. Conservatives felt that it would undermine the free enterprise system. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Millions of Americans experienced what once was only art for the wealthy few, many for the first time. As the administrators studied the situation of Depression-era youth, however, they determined that many had dropped out of school, often before completing the eighth grade. Much of the art, especially the many murals from the Federal Art Project, are still adorning public buildings around the United States. Beyond the criticism of specific groups, many people raised concerns about the effectiveness of the program. Of all of President Roosevelt's New Deal programs, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) is the most famous, because it affected so many people's lives . . Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The Committee made much of the political messages in plays by the FTP and the art of the FAP. When he assumed the presidency, Franklin Roosevelt defied the insistence by his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, on mainta, Harry Hopkins (18901946) was one of the major architects and managers of the New Deal during the Great Depression (19291939) and he was a major U.S, The term work ethic refers to efforts to apply oneself diligently to the task at hand. In addition many people had a difficult time seeing singing and dancing as a real job. Women had a difficult time qualifying for and receiving work relief under the WPA. In addition many Southerners objected to employment programs that would compete with domestic services for black American women. In addition all WPA workers on the payroll for more than 18 months were to be dismissed and all future WPA workers had to sign a loyalty oath asserting support of the U.S. government. Despite contrary evidence, public workers were often criticized for being overpaid and lazy. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1988. American stage. The Woodrum Committee heard several months of testimony, and, like the HUAC committee in the 1950s, was often more concerned with influencing public opinion against communism than finding the truth about Federal One. Many of the states were too impoverished to address the poverty of their own people. During the 1920s and 1930s, many Americans and, in fact, people all over the world had begun to advocate for more accessible culture. "Works Progress Administration 1935-1943 Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. In early 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt became President of the United States. Advancement in such a system is based on performance, as measured through examination or . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Roosevelt and Hopkins wanted to be sure that the WPA did not compete with private enterprise. In addition they created surveys of portraits and manuscript collections in public buildings and church archives. The administrators of the WPA disqualified almost all of them. Many found the situation extremely disillusioning, though most participants found the centers themselves to be a good experience. The country was increasingly poor and frightened. ." Sculptors created monuments, and actors and musicians were paid to perform. A certain arrogance of American ingenuity also gave rise to the WPA. In 1999 Cradle Will Rock was released as a Hollywood movie depicting the struggle around the production of a play. ." Hood east of Portland, Oregon. Initially denied an education, Bethune became a proponent of the value of education in elevating black Americans. 170171). Flanagan asserted that for theatre to be good, it had to push accepted standards. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), WPA workers repairing sidewalks. FERA provided direct financial aid to the unemployed. This experience led him to become a social worker. He believed that the low wages were to be used as a tool to break up the unions. While inequities existed under the programs, many women, African Americans and other marginalized groups found employment with the WPA. Is it true, as you so often hear, that people on relief acquire the habit of living at ease and thenceforth refuse to go to work? Most of the student workers worked out of their homes, but rural youth were moved to residential centers and trained in masonry, welding, baking, barbering, carpentry, and plumbing. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Flanagan was described as having a spirit, dedication, and drive reminiscent of Eleanor Roosevelt. The Hungry Years: A Narrative History of the Great Depression in America. In New York he gained an education from Columbia University and the New School for Social Research. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. In comparison Adolph Hitler was Chancellor of Germany and beginning his rise in Europe. That group included renowned artists such as Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Lee Krasner. These programs employed artists, musicians, actors and writers. The vast majority still believe in work. The Federal Theatre Project's Living Newspaper criticized the issues of the day. The National Youth Administration (NYA) was established in 1935 within the Works Progress Administration. Melosh, Barbara. The Works Progress Administration (WPA), which employed millions of Americans in public works projects, from constructing bridges and roads to painting murals and writing plays. Some saw the move to provide relief and later work programs as a way of heading off a Communist revolution. Everyone could enjoy opera and vaudeville; fiddle playing and contemporary art. Many people in the It is significant that more than a million WPA workers have taken private jobs since the beginning of the program. All Rights Reserved. Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. As part of the New Deal, the WPA program was developed in response to the horrible unemployment and destitution of the time, which affected almost every aspect of society. Roosevelt reportedly decided on the name "Works Progress Administration," and could not be dissuaded from it, even though it did not make sense to many. The idea that the government would pay people to do it seemed absurd. Soon after the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt as president in March 1933, Harry Hopkins recruited Williams to be his assistant at the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. The Works Progress Administration (WPA). NYA workers spruced up schools, landscaped parks, read to the blind, and worked as teacher's aides. Harry Hopkins (18901946). The WPA - which in 1939 was renamed the Work Projects Administration - employed mostly unskilled men to carry out public works infrastructure projects. The largest number of people in WPA was employed in engineering and construction projects where most of the money from the WPA was directed. Are they unemployables? The Works Progress Administration helped many Americans to develop and cement their views about work relief. The WPA gave some 8.5 million people jobs. Workers were often assigned to jobs without considering their skills or their abilities. Minneapolis, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1995. In order to pay for the WPA, the U.S. Government had to levy taxes. Injunction Granted dramatized the anti-union actions of the courts. Work relief was a concept that Roosevelt had implemented successfully in New York. . The Social Security Act for the first time established an economic . Forum, March 1939, pp. During the earliest days of the WPA there were problems effectively allocating workers and choosing projects. Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. All sorts, of course. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. 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