Something good out of something bad

"Every time I go over to central park, I walk into the Children's Zoo. This was built during the Depression by WPA workers. It's an absolutely lovely place. I go into the park often. And I cannot help remembering--look, this came out of the Depression. Because men were out of work, because they were given a way to earn money, good things were created."

--Herman Shumlin, Broadway Producer & Director, from the book Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.

The WPA & American Education

(A WPA art class, at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Exact date unknown)

A recent Huffington Post article reports, "The United States places 17th (out of 40) in the developed world for education, according to a global report by the education firm Pearson."

During the New Deal era, the WPA built & repaired schools, hired unemployed teachers, and offered a multitude of educational and training classes to children and adults.

Like our infrastructure, our educational system is sagging. Meanwhile, we have about 5 million citizens who are described by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as long-term unemployed. Some of these unemployed citizens could be hired as teachers in a public works program. Others could benefit from the free classes and training that such a public works program would provide. But we're not going to do this. Why?

(Photo by the WPA, provided courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives)

Tolliver Falls

Tolliver Falls in Swallow Falls State Park (Garrett County, Maryland). Swallow Falls State Park--in my opinion--is one of the most beautiful state parks in the country. It is one of hundreds that the CCC helped create.

(Photo by Brent McKee)  

WPA wartime posters

The WPA made many interesting posters to promote the war effort. This one was made between 1941 and 1943.

(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

The New Deal uncovers the past

Here's a recent blog post (from someone who is researching archaeology in the United States during the New Deal era) about CCC- and WPA-assisted archaeology in Maryland:

http://newdealarchaeology.com/2012/11/22/new-deal-archaeology-in-maryland-the-old-line-state/
 

American Infrastructure

Above: WPA workers building a bridge in Harford County, Maryland, in June of 1936.

According to this article/op-ed, the World Economic Forum recently lowered America's infrastructure ranking from 8th to 25th in the world, and the American Society of Civil Engineers gives a D+ letter grade to our infrastructure. And, according to this article, "Wild weather is taking a toll on roads, airports, railways and transit systems across the country."

During the Great Depression, the services of contractors and the unemployed were utilized to modernize American infrastructure. The PWA funded colossal structures like the Hoover Dam, the CCC developed state and national parks for eager tourists and vacationers, the WPA performed enough roadwork to circle the Earth 26 times, and other work projects were carried out by agencies like the CWA, NYA, and U.S. Treasury.

Today, we seem to have a more lackadaisical attitude about our deteriorating infrastructure, and there seems to be more calls from our political leaders to drug test the unemployed than to give them meaningful & important work opportunities.

Why?

(Photo by the WPA, courtesy of the University of College Park Maryland Archives)

Happy Thanksgiving

Workers at a WPA food distribution project. This picture reminds me of when I was handing out turkeys to families in need, shortly before Thanksgiving 2003, while in Americorps.

(Photo by the WPA, provided courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives)