New Deal Postage Stamps: National Defense

U.S. Coast Guard:

Above (1945 postage stamp): After World War I, America's military began to deteriorate from lack of funding. The situation worsened with the onset of the Great Depression, but New Deal funding changed that. With Public Works Administration (PWA) funds and Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor, America's aging national defense systems were rejuvenated. And these efforts better prepared the nation for the coming global conflict. President Roosevelt noted in 1942: "[The WPA] has added to the national wealth, has repaired the wastage of depression and has strengthened the country to bear the burden of war" (Final Report on the WPA Program, 1935-1943, 1946, p. v). With respect to the PWA and the Coast Guard, the latter received funding for 18 cutters, 9 patrol boats, and 28 patrol planes. Coast Guard facilities along the nation's shores were improved and the Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut, was enlarged (Federal Works Agency, Millions for Defense, 1940, p. 41). Image from personal collection. 

Above: The description for this photo (ca. 1933-1940) reads, "In time of war the Coast Guard becomes part of the Navy. Cutters, patrol boats, and planes purchased by the Coast Guard with emergency [PWA] funds are readily convertible for naval uses." Photo courtesy of the Federal Works Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard.

U.S. Army and U.S. Navy:

Above (1940 postage stamp): Between 1935 and 1943, WPA workers renovated and improved Army bases all across the nation. Veterans of the Civilian Conservation Corps quickly became non-commissioned officers in the Army, providing strong leadership during the war. With respect to the Navy, PWA funding between 1933 and 1940 built 2 aircraft carriers, 4 cruisers, 4 heavy destroyers, 16 smaller destroyers, 4 submarines, and 2 gunboats (Federal Works Agency, Millions for Defense, 1940, p. 17). Image from personal collection.

Above: The U.S.S. Selfridge (DD-357). The description for this photo (ca. 1933-1940) reads, "One of twenty destroyers built with PWA funds. The Selfridge assisted in the evacuation of Americans from Europe at the outbreak of the war." Photo courtesy of the Federal Works Agency and the U.S. Navy.

Industry and Agriculture for Defense: 

Above (1940 postage stamp): Through programs like the National Youth Administration, the New Deal trained workers for industry; and through programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps & the Soil Conservation Service, the New Deal improved the nation's agricultural land. Image from personal collection.

Above: The description for this 1939 photo reads, "CCC working with Soil Conservation Service making diversion terrace to prevent gullying, Vernon County, Wisconsin." Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Strong National Defense Requires a Strong & Healthy Citizenry:

Above (1940 postage stamp): The Federal Security Agency (FSA), created by President Roosevelt in 1939, worked towards improving the health, education, and financial stability of Americans to, in part, improve national defense. For example, the agency reported that its "Public Health Service was...laying the ground work for a program allied to defense to promote the health and improve the physical fitness of out-of-school young people employed on projects administered by the National Youth Administration" (1940 annual report of the FSA, p. 8). Image from personal collection.

Above: The National Youth Administration (NYA) offered recreation and physical fitness opportunities for its enrollees. This photo shows a champion NYA softball team in Tucson, Arizona, 1937. Photo courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum and the New Deal Network.

The New Deal, Women, and the Defense Industries:

Above: This 1999 postage stamp commemorates the role that American women played during World War II, in the defense industries. Some people might not know that many women died during the war, for example, in armament plant explosions. Probably even fewer know that many Rosie the Riveters (and Wendy the Welders) received training from the NYA - see, e.g., the oral history interviews of Lou Annie Charles and Eva Vassar, at the "Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront Project" (University of California Berkeley). Image from personal collection.

Above: Young women learning to weld in an NYA program at Bethune-Cookman College, Florida, 1943. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

New Deal Postage Stamps: National Parks

Above: Many people are responsible for the creation, development, and protection of our national parks, for example, John Muir, Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Horace Kephart, George Masa, George Melendez Wright, and many, many more. However, the New Deal invested in our national parks like never before or since (considering money plus labor). For example, after years of collecting funds to create Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the people of North Carolina and Tennessee were rocked by the Great Depression, and couldn't contribute any more. So, newly-elected President Franklin Roosevelt, "Inspired by all the pennies and nickels that had been collected from everyday people...decided to intervene. To make up the shortfall, the president allocated 1.5 million dollars in scarce federal funds to complete the land purchases - the first time in history the United States government had spent its own money to buy land for a National Park" (Ken Burns film, "National Parks: America's Best Idea," 2009). In addition to money, CCC labor helped develop the park: "...as many as 4,000 enrollees were assigned to 22 CCC camps at various times from 1933-1942, building roads, trails, fire towers, and structures. The legacy of the CCC is enormous, and the work of these young men remains clearly evident today" ("History & Culture," National Park Service). Today, Great Smoky Mountain Park is the most visited national park. Image from personal collection.

Above: According to the National Park Service, "During the nine years the CCC was stationed at Acadia [National Park], they completed hundreds of projects. The majority of these were in forestry, such as fire fighting, fuel reduction, and disease control. The 'boys' also performed most of the work in constructing the park’s two campgrounds, Blackwoods and Seawall. Their most enduring and endearing successes, though, are the stunning and unusual trails that lead hikers into the heart of Acadia, such as the Ocean Path and Perpendicular Trail. Granite blocks weighing more than a ton were carefully cut and laid by hand. Thousands of dead or downed trees were cleared. The work was hard, but fulfilling, and through their efforts, the CCC opened, protected, and beautified Acadia National Park" ("Civilian Conservation Corps," National Park Service). Image from personal collection.

Above: The National Park Service reports that "From October 1933- June 1934 Civilian Conservation Corps Company 262 completed trail work, planted trees, constructed telephone lines, repaired storm damaged structures, and completed other tasks for Royal Palm State Park" ("People," National Park Service). "Royal Palm State Park was established in 1916 and later became the nucleus for Everglades National Park" ("Royal Palm," National Park Service). Image from personal collection.

Above: "At Grand Canyon the CCC built roads, trails, walls, shelters and much of the infrastructure that still is in use today" ("Grand Canyon Civilian Conservation Corps," National Park Service). Image from personal collection.

New Deal Postage Stamps: Eleanor Roosevelt

Above: The back of this stamp reads, "Eleanor Roosevelt was an extremely vocal, active, and influential First Lady. During press conferences for women reporters and in her syndicated column, she championed the rights of women, youths, minorities, and the disadvantaged." Regarding young Americans and the Great Depression, Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "I have moments of real terror when I think we might be losing this generation. We have got to bring these young people into the active life of the community and make them feel that they are necessary." Roosevelt was an avid supporter of the New Deal's National Youth Administration. Image from personal collection.

Above: Eleanor Roosevelt was (and still is) known worldwide as a "Defender of Human Rights." Indeed, she was the chair of the Drafting Committee of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Image from personal collection.

Above: A 20 cent stamp issued in 1984, celebrating the centennial of Eleanor Roosevelt's birth. As is true for anyone trying to help the downtrodden, Eleanor Roosevelt's activism "made her a tempting target for political enemies - but her integrity, her graciousness, and her sincerity of purpose endeared her personally to many, from heads of state to servicemen she visited abroad during World War II" (see "Anna Eleanor Roosevelt," The White House). Image from personal collection.

Above: In the year 2020, a woman may appear on the 10 dollar bill. According to one recent poll, Eleanor Roosevelt is the leading candidate. The image on this stamp would be a good one, although I've noticed there isn't much smiling on American currency. Eleanor Roosevelt died on November 7, 1962. In remembering her, Adlai Stevenson said, "What other human being has touched and transformed the existence of so many?...She walked in the slums of the world, not on a tour of inspection...but as one who could not feel contentment when others were hungry. Her glow warmed the world...she embodied the vision and the will to achieve a world in which all men can walk in peace and dignity." Image from personal collection.

New Deal Postage Stamps: The Homes of President Roosevelt

Above: "White House." Franklin Roosevelt lived in the White House longer than any other president. Why? Because, while not a perfect man, most American knew that he was fighting for them and not just for wealthy Americans. So, they kept re-electing him. Image from personal collection.

Above: "Little White House, Warm Springs." Roosevelt frequently went to Warm Springs, Georgia, for leg therapy, and stayed in his "Little White House." Roosevelt died in this house on April 12, 1945. Today, you can tour the "Little White House Historic Site." Image from personal collection.

Above: "Hyde Park." Roosevelt was born and raised in the Springwood Estate at Hyde Park, New York, and once said, "All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River." That home is now a National Historic Site for all Americans to visit and enjoy. Image from personal collection.

New Deal Postage Stamps: Alphabet Soup, Opposition, and the Eagle

Above: This stamp shows why the programs & policies of the New Deal are often called Roosevelt's "alphabet soup." Image from personal collection.

Above: Not everyone was happy with the New Deal's alphabet soup. For example, corporate lawyer Wendell Wilkie was vehemently opposed to the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), thinking that it infringed on the business community's privilege to provide power (or not) to rural areas. Wilkie not only lost the battle over TVA (which still provides electric power to millions of Americans today), but he also lost the 1940 presidential race to President Roosevelt. Image from personal collection.  

Above: This stamp is called the "Art Deco Eagle." Art Deco was a popular art & architecture style during the New Deal era, and also during the years leading up to the New Deal. Interestingly, the eagle image on this stamp is reminiscent of several New Deal symbols, for example, the eagle associated with the National Industrial Recovery Act. Image from personal collection.

New Deal Postage Stamps: Power

Above: The Grand Coulee Dam was built between 1933 and 1942 with funding from the New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA). It still operates today, and for three-quarters of a century it has produced electric power for millions of Americans in the Northwest. Note: The dates on the stamp--1902 to 1952--refer to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, a federal agency that still exists today. Image from personal collection. 

Above: Since its creation by New Deal policymakers in 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has produced electric power for millions of Americans in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Originally opposed by conservatives, as an intrusion on the "free market," it is now protected by conservatives because it has been so successful (see, e.g., "Obama Proposal To Sell TVA Blasted By Republicans," Associated Press, Huffington Post, April 16, 2013).

Above: The New Deal's Rural Electrification Administration (REA) helped bring power to millions of Americans living in rural areas of the nation. In fact, when REA was created in 1935 only about 10% of rural America enjoyed electric service. By 1953, 90% had electric service. The next time someone tells you that the New Deal didn't work, tell them that. Image from personal collection. 

New Deal Postage Stamps: Conservation

Above: When President Roosevelt signed the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 (which amended an earlier conservation act) he said: "The United States...is now emerging from its youthful stage of heedless exploitation and is beginning to realize the supreme importance of treating the soil well." Image from personal collection.

Above: From 1933 to 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) protected our soil from erosion, our parks from neglect, and our forests from disease, fire, and pests. Considering our environmental challenges today, wouldn't it be great to have another CCC? Image from personal collection.