Figure 1.-- |
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An important part of the First Hundred Days was expanding relief (money and food) programs to the unemployed and oter afflicted groups. Relief was, however, a stop gap measure to allow Americans to survive the Depression until jobs once more became available. The Depression persisted. Here economists differ on why this was, but the private sector did not recreate the jobs that had been lost. As a result, another flurry of New Deal legislation followed in 1935. This was in part possible because of the Democratic Congressional victories in the 1934 by-election. The new programs included the Works Projects Administration (WPA) which provided jobs not only for laborers but also artists, writers, musicians, and authors. The WPA was in large measure the public face of the New Deal. The WPA along with Social Security became the center pieces of the New Deal. WPA also became perhaps the most controversial New Deal Agency.
The purpose of the WPA was to put people back to work. Much of the WPA work projects were designed to improve the country's physical and social infrastructure.
The WPA eventually employed 8 million Americans, making it the country's largest employer. Much of the WPA involved physical labor and construction. Construction projects included roads and bridges. There were also government buildings, libraries, and schools. There were many projects in the National Parks where the CCC was also active. One notableproject was National Airport in Washington, DC. There were many service projects, including school lunches and kindergartens. Many children with unemployed fathers got their most important meal of thecday at school. Most primary school children in the 1930s wentbhome for lunch. The number of elementary (primary) schools offering school lunches as a reslt of WPA sharply increased. WPA was not only for laborers, but also artists, sculptors, writers, musicians, and authors. As a result, there were plays and concerts--even circuses.
The first director of WPA was Harry Hopkins who was obecome a White House intimate. Hopkins is probably the most poorly recognized American statesman. Hopkins in his first five minutes as director spent $5 million, quite alarge amount at the time. He told a friend, "I'm not going to last 6 months here, so I'll do as I please."
WPA became perhaps the most controversial New Deal Agency. Almost all New Deal agencies were controversial, but WPA came in for special criticism, in part because of the money spent. Critics charged it was inefficent. Some named it, "We Piddle About". Especially galling to conservatives was the Writers Project which produced some left-wing plays. Despite the critism, Hopkins stayed as Director and President Roosevelt continued to support him and WPA. The President maintained that even more costly would be to allow the country's human capitl to go idle.
Taylor, Nick. American Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA--When FDR Put the Nation to Work (Bantm, 2008), 630p.
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