Preview

What Is Wpa Essay Example

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1158 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Is Wpa Essay Example
What is the WPA program? Will it help the economy? What are the advantages and Disadvantages? How much does it cost? These are all questions most Americans have when Obama planned to bring back the Work Progress Administration (WPA). I am going to tell you what WPA is and the pros and cons of it.
During the Great Depression, anxious that the dole not become “narcotic,” in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words, the U.S. Congress in 1935 created the WPA to administer $5 billion for public works. The WPA's goal was to employ as many people as possible on projects that would provide long-term benefit to local communities. This created job’s to build bridges in disrepair, parks in shambles and fix boarded-up buildings. Ideally, workers would also receive on-the-job training to prepare them for further employment. For example, the WPA made a significant impact on Oklahoma. At the end of the day, of 166,000 Oklahomans certified for WPA jobs approximately 119,000 were employed at some point between 1935 and 1937. Including those recruited into a special drought-relief work program, more than half the state's work relief recipients were farmers. To assure that private employment remained appealing, project wages were lower than typical rates. Organized labor complained that the original unskilled rate of eighteen cents an hour depressed all wages. The Works Progress Administration (renamed during 1939 as the Work Projects Administration; WPA) was the largest and most determined new deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects. This is the same project Obama is trying to reinstate to better the millions of unemployed Americans today: economic relief, a new deal, one that keeps unemployment below double digits by focusing on refurbishing the United States. Like most notions or strategies there are pros and cons.
The pro to this “New Deal” is the amount of jobs that will be created. The economic recovery bill by Democrats would

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Roosevelt’s New Deal had a major debate whether welfare or new opportunities should proceed, because welfare gave the people necessary resources to survive like in the TVA act, however, the new opportunities such as the CCC act would not only benefit them and their family now but also in the future. Welfare wasn’t considered a terrible thing, the flaw was it only solved the problem temporarily and never really helped put an end to poverty. The Tennessee Valley Authority gave people in the southeastern part of the U.S. electricity, flooding control, and helped with economic development, but the act itself didn’t give people jobs or direct money. This really helped people get back on their feet since they now have electricity but more people thought it was better to have new opportunities and the CCC act did just that. The CCC act was set out for young, unemployed men to plant trees and conserve the environment. Working outside in the parks helped create the environment to be healthier while also giving all of the young men sturdy and new paying jobs. The Civilian Conservation Corp act gave many opportunities for thousands of men and also gave them checks that will help them get through the tough life today and possibly some of the future. These types of new opportunities are what helped society break loose from the extreme poverty in the Great Depression.…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Roosevelt wanted to put Americans back to work and replenish the economy and the confidence of the economy. He created a United States federal law of the New Deal era which reduced agricultural production by paying farmers allowance not to plant on part of their land and to kill off extra livestock. Its purpose was to reduce crop excess and therefore effectively raise the value of crops. He also set up public work programs such as Public Works Administration which was part of the New Deal of 1933 designed to reduce unemployment and increase purchasing power through the construction of highways and public buildings. Lead by Secretary of the Interior Harold L Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression. PWA built dams, bridges, hospitals, and schools. It was very successful. He also set up the Civilian Conservation Corps which was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families as part of the New Deal. By doing these policies people were put back to work through the government on public projects. Franklin D. Roosevelt strived to protect and help farmers and fair…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Around thirteen million people were unemployed when Roosevelt took office. The New Deal set up agencies to employ young men , assist business and labor, subsidize home and farm mortgages, and help the unemployed (Elkins 1). Agencies such as the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps.), NRA (National Recovery Agency), and the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration). He created the Works Progress Administration, which created 8.5 million jobs during…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Federal Theater Project

    • 1699 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Millions of people across the country roamed the streets in search of jobs, hoping to find some way to get the money they needed to feed their families. The Great Depression in the United States during the 1930s affected not only those who worked in jobs requiring physical labor, but those involved with theatre and the arts as well. The Federal Theatre Project was one of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)'s projects that was created to help deal with the economic turmoil caused by the Great Depression. Thousands of artists, whether it was in the form of writing, music, or performing arts, were put out of work. The Federal Arts projects were created to reinstate jobs for unemployed artists as well as create displays of art for the public.…

    • 1699 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unemployment was a major problem ever since the Great Depression started. Without jobs, people were not able to earn money to support themselves and their families. In 1933, thirteen million people are unemployed. To counteract this problem, FDR created alphabet agencies like the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), the WPA (Works Progress Administration), the CWA (Civil Works Administration) and the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) to promote jobs. In the CCC alone, the agency hired two hundred and fifty thousand young men to do conservation and construction…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The main focus of these New Deal policies would be relief, recovery, and reform (Faragher 883). Relief-focused administrations included the Civilian Conservation Corps, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Works Progress Administration (Faragher 855). In comparison to Hoover’s economic trickle-down-effect ideology, these programs provided direct relief to the people through employment and wages. With the restriction of jobs in the private sector, government-provided employment was often the only option available for many Americans. Furthermore, for those that couldn’t work, relief was provided through the first federal welfare program, the Social Security Act of 1935 which provided old age pension and assistance to the disabled (Faragher 859). The New Deal was the first instance of the federal government providing massive, widespread relief to the people; and it was more effective than previous state or private programs. By reacting immediately to the needs of the people, FDR demonstrated pragmatism and desire to serve. Relief and recovery often went together as helping the people (consumers) injected money back into the struggling…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    New Deal DBQ

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Social Security Act was signed on August 14, 1935. It provided financial security on focusing in on the sick, old, fatherless children, and the unemployed. The act provided benefits to the retired and unemployed, by using the current employed workers, tax would be deducted from their paycheck and would be transferred to those who are retired. With benefits along with the Works Progress Administration, which provided jobs mostly for the unskilled and moved them to public works governmental projects to provide them jobs and a stable income. The WPA funded the unskilled and even the native indians. “The Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration; WPA) was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of unemployed people (mostly unskilled men) to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. In a much smaller but more famous project, Federal Project Number One, the WPA employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects”(Wikipedia) Through these acts, the nation’s unemployment rate dropped by Nearly twenty five percent up to 1945.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    New Deal Dbq

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The NIRA established rules for wages, prices, and working conditions. The working conditions would get better, and the wages would be reasonable . The Public Works Administration (PWA) was created by the NIRA to provide jobs for the public. Lots of the jobs involved building things such as dams, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and other public buildings. As a result of building these things and helping to make America a better place, workers received money and it boosted their spirits. This helped to get people working, pay the bills, and feed their families. Building streets and roads was one of the more common projects that the PWA had done. Roughly 11,428 roads and or streets were built. Rules were also put into place to increase wages, issuing prices and providing suitable working conditions. Construction work to build roads enabled men to make money. It also increased travel and trade of goods which helped the economy. Since pricing and wages were regulated, this also helped stabilize the…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the Great Depression, millions of people had no money in the bank and a lot were homeless. President Roosevelt saw this and he decided to make a change. He made a program called Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA was a program that employed millions of people that were unemployed after the Great Depression. Millions of people were employed due to the WPA’s work systems which funded various projects. The WPA also funded money into the arts industry and helped artist make money off their paintings and sculptures. The WPA made a great impact on the citizens following the Great Depression.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Apush Dbq

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Unemployment was an extreme problem during the times of 1929 and 1941, and before and after this time period. After World War 1, over-speculation, over-production and margin of error caused a great depression in the United States. Banks closed, businesses laid people off, and people lost their jobs and their money. So, Franklin D. Roosevelt started creating different agencies to relieve, recover, and reform America (Document 3). Work progress, civilian work, and public work administrations made work for many people and helped attempt to relieve the unemployment problems.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    New Deal Dbq

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages

    With all of Roosevelt's attempts to make a better society out of the American depressed land, yet he still failed to completely exile the depression. However, the New Deal was successful in regaining the land's confidence and somehow reunited most citizens together. Due to the American circumstances, the New Deal did not reach far enough, and it was allowed to reform as much as the citizens allowed it to modify. The New Deal "promoted the philosophy of "balancing the human budget" and accepted the principle that the federal government was morally bound to prevent mass hunger and starvation by "managing" the economy" (797). Although Roosevelt did not succeed, well, at least he tried; his promise was that "Nobody is going to starve" (797) and as far as evident no one did. Those who followed Roosevelt shaped themselves, and got back on their feet. Unemployment was not solved during or after the New Deal, and the rate was still relatively high; however it was reduced by 10%. The issue of unemployment was solved after WW11. It is now safe to say "The New Deal was a "revolutionary response to a revolutionary situation" (pg…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first one hundred days in office can be simplified into two words through the cooperation of congress called the “New Deal.” The New Deal was the President's way of bring aid about the Great Depression. He was able to institute great associations, organizations, and acts like the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC), and Public Works Association (PWA), and the Social Security Act (SSA) which were able to help get people and workers to retain money and jobs. These things, all instituted by the New Deal greatly impacted the citizens of the United States of America by giving them jobs to get food, shelter, and countless other necessities for life, in which they were previously deprived of. Overall, the New Deal…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The article outlines government assistance funding beginning with the New Deal that was implemented by President Franklin Roosevelt. The offer of benefits that many Americans are able to thrive on dates back to the 1930s. Since the implementation of such plans, the government has incurred a great deal of debt and such debt has caused financial strain on taxpayers who are faced with struggling to survive during a recession. Many Americans are forced out of the labor market due to layoffs, businesses not being able to thrive during difficult times, etc. These individuals have no other choice but to rely on such benefits in order to survive. “The unemployment rate is the most widely reported measure of the nation’s economic health” (McHearn, 114). This only points out that many are willing and desperate for employment, but for various reasons are unsuccessful at finding a job.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This program aimed to employ people that would build or repair public buildings, including schools, post offices, and government offices. This program was very successful in achieving its goals. WPA workers eventually built/repaired six hundred and fifty thousand miles of roads, seventy-five thousand bridges, and eight hundred airports. Artists and writers were also hired by the WPA to paint murals in post offices and government buildings and write stories, state guides, and histories. Therefore, the Works Progress Administration not only provided jobs for many people during the Great Depression, but built up the buildings of…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The WPA, or Works Progress administration provided the best relief for people who couldn’t find jobs during the Great Depression.…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays