Great Depression WPA

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The Great Depression was felt worldwide, some countries more than others. During this time many Americans had to live in poor conditions. In the United states, 25 percent of the workers and 37 percent of all nonfarm workers lost their job(Smiley 1). Unemployment rates had increased to a 24.9 percent during 1933(Shmoop 1). Unable to pay mortgages, many families lost their homes. The cause of this was the Stock Market crash in 1929. Many investors of the stock market panicked and sold all their stocks. The results of this include frightened Americans withdrawing all their saving causing and hoarding it in their homes many banks to shut down and less money to circulate in the economy. Although the economy had taken a dramatic blow, there was hope. A new program was administered by the government to help people suffering from the depression. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) program helped improve lives of Americans affected by the Great Depression.

As soon as Franklin Roosevelt came into office, he began to implement a series of measures known collectively as the New Deal. One idea behind the New Deal to implement economic measures to prevent complete economic collapse. To protect the economy, Roosevelt introduced 15 acts of legislation such as the Banking Act of 1933 which guaranteed bank deposits of up to $5000("Roosevelt Institute"). Another idea behind the New Deal was to implement measures kickstart the economy by providing employment. One employment program was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) for unemployed single men aged 18-25, which ran from 1933 to 1942("Roosevelt Institute"). This program provided unskilled manual labor in conservation and development of natural resources in rural areas. Another employmen...

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... The Roosevelt Institute. The Roosevelt Institute. Web. 3 Mar 2014. .

"The Works Progress Administration (WPA)." American Experience. PBS. Web. 3 Mar 2014. .
("The Works Progress Administration (WPA)")

Weber, Cameron M.. "How Flexible was the Works Progress Administration in Responding to Unemployment during the Great Depression?." . N.p.. Web. 3 Mar 2014. .

William H., M.. N.p.. Web. 9 Mar 2014. .

Smiley, G.. N.p.. Web. 9 Mar 2014. .

Shmoop Editiorial Team, . N.p.. Web. 9 Mar 2014. .

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