The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a New Deal agency that aimed to fight unemployment and stimulate the economy during the Depression. It was one of the largest employers in the US and funded public works, art, and historical preservation. The agency also provided job training, education, and services to the poor. The WPA was dissolved in 1943 due to the improved economy during the war.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a New Deal agency designed to fight unemployment while stimulating the economy. During the Depression years, this agency was one of the largest employers in the United States and its work can be seen today in every American state. Like any major welfare program, the WPA has had its share of criticisms and problems, but it has also been hailed as an immensely helpful and productive organization.
The roots of the WPA can be found in the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), a government agency founded by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 to address the widespread unemployment caused by the Depression. In 1935, FERA was dissolved and replaced by the WPA, which was supposed to expand the former agency’s offerings. The agency was closed in 1943, when the outbreak of war greatly improved the health of the American economy, making many of its programs redundant.
A large portion of the WPA budget went to the construction of public works and structures such as dams, roads, civic buildings, parks, public libraries, and sewage systems. The agency hired unemployed workers to perform these tasks, thereby easing the burden of unemployment and also improving American public works. Many projects are still ongoing today, as most visitors to National Park System sites are well aware. Some of these projects may not have been strictly necessary, but were often appreciated once the work was done.
In addition to finding public works, the WPA also provided work for struggling artists, writers and composers. The Federal Arts Project has sponsored numerous works of public art including the now famous murals which can be found at many sites across the United States. The agency has also sponsored stage productions, novels and concerts. WPA funding has also helped preserve important historical records, which many Americans use today to trace genealogy and learn more about the history of their regions, and many oral histories from the 1930s have been collected with the assistance of these funds. .
In addition to creating jobs for unemployed Americans, the WPA also provided job training and education, and its funds provided food, shelter, and other needed services to the poor. Some people have criticized the agency for spending government money on seemingly frivolous projects, but these projects have undoubtedly contributed much to American life, and many Americans continue to reap the benefits of the initiatives today.
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