The Legacy of the WPA
In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt came into office carrying the country’s weigh on his shoulders. Being President at the time of the Great Depression required FDR to come up with innovative ways to deal with the country’s growing problems, and that he did. He came up with New Deal; programs that put the nation into work and relief. One of the most ground-breaking, yet less remembered programs was the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA’s main focus was to help the unemployed work. Through the years the WPA raised the number of employment, created new projects and helped give hope and courage to Americans to continue fighting for a better life. Created in 1935, the WPA was one of the largest and most comprehensive of the New Deal programs. The WPA was mainly a program designed with the purpose of providing jobs for about eight million unemployed people (Smith 1). At the time of the Great Depression many men and women were left unemployed. The dollar became almost worthless as the prices of food and items rose. Those who did not work were left without food or shelter, that is until the WPA program came in session. Unlike other relief programs of the New Deal such as the Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC) or the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the WPA did not require skills workers (Bing 1). Many skilled and unskilled men, women and children were put into the WPA program; employing at least one person from each family. They were paid between 15 to 90 dollars a month depending on which state they were living in; enough to support themselves with food and shelter (Johnson 1). Not only did the WPA benefit the people of the U.S. but also gave America a new look by creating many projects. The WPA was responsible for building structures such as airports, seaports and bridges. Over the eight year period that the WPA lasted, it was able to pave 651,000 miles of road, built 78,000 parks and 800 airports all over the United States (Johnson 1). Many of the WPA workers most amazing constructions are still in use today. The Cow Palace in San Francisco, La Guardia Airport in New York City, the Timberlodge in Oregon, and the River Walk in San Antonio and countless other accomplishments were WPA creations (Taylor 2). These projects and accomplishments brought new attractions to the nation after falling apart during the Great Depression. FDR’s New Deal put the nation and its people into work and relief programs. Many of its programs like the WPA reassured Americans for hope of better days yet to come. The many jobs it provided for the people helped them get back on their feet. The projects the WPA created used resources that created economic demand and got people working for themselves (Bing 1). Though the WPA was a nationwide improvement in employment rate