JoJo Caballero
Mr. Rust
AP U.S. History
27 February 15
Reform
The New Deal agencies appeared to impact Americans in a favorable manner economically. As for the minority population of the United States, New Deal agencies had the tendency to pose as an adversity. These newly developed agencies include the Works Progress Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act. The Works Progress Administration allocated jobs and income to those facing unemployment during the Great Depression. The WPA served as a beneficial agency during the grueling period of those actively seeking labor. This agency helped reduce unemployment from 25% to 10%, significantly reducing the unemployment rate the graph Source C presents. The Workers Progress Administration modernized the nation's infrastructure, and provided jobs for people who otherwise would have in all likelihood gone hungry. The photo provided in Source A publicizes the robust elements pertaining to the WPA. Disabled children received the education they would not have obtained if it were not for the WPA. The WPA hired minorities as well as partaking in projects contributing to their well-being. WPA construction crews built and renovated hospitals, housing projects, schools, parks, playgrounds, and swimming pools in minority regions such as black communities. Regardless of its endowments to minorities, the WPA was not flawless as most Latinos worked low wage labor jobs in agriculture or industry. Mexican-Americans would face drastic discrimination and were generally the last hired and the first fired. Raids would gather up Mexican Americans and deport to Mexico, which ultimately led to the deportation of thousands of American Born US citizens. Nearly half of all Latinos were forced to relocate during the Great Depression. Another program designed to address the problem of jobless individuals was the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC’s agenda was to provide work for young men aged between 18 and 25 years old. However, the economic conditions of minorities were disproportionately worse than those of whites. This oppressive system did not adequately address the relief needs of minority youths. When the CCC began, few efforts were made to actively recruit African Americans. Many states, particularly in the South, overlooked