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Works Progress Administration Poster
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Works Progress Administration Facts: Fast Fact Sheet for
kids
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Works Progress Administration
(WPA) for kids.
What did the Works Progress Administration do?
The WPA was a federal agency created by the
Emergency
Relief Appropriation Act of April 1935
to provide light construction jobs for
millions of unskilled workers without the
need for large amounts of materials or heavy
machinery.
What was the result of the Works Progress Administration?
The result of the WPA
was to provide employment for 25% of the
population, between 1935 and 1939 the WPA
was the nation's biggest employer. During
this time construction workers, working
predominantly in towns and cities, built
schools, hospitals, libraries,
courthouses,
city halls, post offices,
parks, roads, sidewalks and housing.
Unemployment levels dropped and people had
money to spend on goods. The demand for
products from factories increased which led
to the creation of more jobs.
Works Progress Administration
Facts for kids: What's the difference between the WPA and the PWA?
The Works
Progress Administration (WPA) focused on people and public employment
whereas the
Public Works
Administration (PWA) focused on public works and invigorating
America’s "core industries".
Works Progress Administration
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Works Progress Administration
for kids.
Facts
about the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for kids
Works Progress Administration Fact 1:
The law known as
the 1935 Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of April was passed on
April 8, 1935 and continued the government's policy of
creating federal agencies to manage the economy, bring about
Industrial recovery and reduce unemployment levels.
The WPA aspired to serve the public
good and conserve the skills and the self-esteem of
workers
Works Progress Administration Fact
2: The law allocated $4.88 billion for
the WPA to offer direct government employment to the
jobless. The WPA had responsibility for the direct
hiring of workers for the government projects. This gave
WPA administrators control over how many new jobs were
created, who got the jobs and the wages and working
conditions of the jobs
Works Progress Administration Fact
3: Work projects were not allowed to
compete with private construction and were submitted on
an application form to the State Works Progress
Administrator of the state where the project was
located.
Works
Progress Administration Fact 4:
WPA salaries were larger than previous direct
relief payments but smaller than private industry wages. Payments
varied, but WPA workers made about 50 to 73 cents per hour, which is
about $6.55 to $9.56 in today's dollars.
Works Progress Administration Fact
5: Besides construction work, other
Works Progress Administration WPA projects initially
involved the theater, writing, music, sewing projects,
food distribution, historic and environmental
preservation, archaeological digs and disaster relief
Works Progress Administration Fact
6: The WPA’s activities included the National
Youth Administration (NYA), the Federal Art Project, the Federal
Writers’ Project, and the Federal Theatre
Works Progress Administration Fact
7: In 1938 Harry L.
Hopkins left his position as
head of the agency when he joined FDR's cabinet as
Secretary of Commerce . Hopkins was replaced by army
engineer Col. Francis Harrington, formerly of the WPA’s
Administrative Manual Division
Works Progress Administration Fact
8: By 1939 the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
was strongly criticized for its possible socialist or communist
connections by the financing of artists and musicians in the "Federal
Number One" section. The WPA agency responded by changing course with a new
name, Works Projects Administration, and focusing more directly on
construction work projects.
Works Progress Administration Fact
9: The Emergency Relief Appropriation
Act of 1939 eliminated the Federal Theater
Project, cut back WPA pay and limited enrollment to 18
months.
Works Progress Administration Fact
10: Bulletin board notices posted at each
project announcing a reduction in hourly wages and an
increase in working hours. A strike of thousands of WPA
workers followed, which was unsuccessful.
Continued...
Facts
about the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for kids
Facts
about the Works Progress Administration for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Works Progress Administration for
kids.
Facts
about Works Progress Administration (WPA) for kids
Works Progress Administration Fact 11:
Many Americans did not want to be on relief and
this extended to working on the WPA. A poem called "I'd Rather Not
Be on Relief" by Lester Hunter, written in 1938 in the midst of the
Dust Bowl Disaster, reflects the plight and some of their views -
refer to Dust Bowl Life .
Works Progress Administration Fact 12:
Despite the problems and the
criticisms the legacy of the Works Progress
Administration is still apparent. 85,000 public
buildings, including 39,000 schools, were built,
improved, or repaired. 24,000 miles of sewer lines and
16,000 miles of water lines were installed by the WPA
Works Progress Administration Fact 13:
2,000 swimming & wading pools were
constructed and 18,000 new or improved playgrounds &
athletic fields were constructed by the WPA
Works Progress Administration Fact 14:
35% of the nation's schools and 70%
of its hospitals were built as a result of the WPA
Works Progress Administration Fact 15:
During its 8 year history the Works
Progress Administration employed over 8.5 million
Americans,
built 651,087 miles of highways, roads, and streets,
125,110 public buildings and 8,192 parks
Works Progress Administration Fact 16:
The Works Progress Administration
lasted until June 30, 1943 as the nation concentrated
its efforts on war production for World War II .
Facts
about Works Progress Administration for kids
Works Progress Administration for kids - President Franklin Roosevelt Video
The article on the
Works Progress Administration (WPA) provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Franklin Roosevelt video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 32nd American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945.
Works Progress Administration
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Interesting Facts about the Works Progress Administration for kids
●
Summary of the Works Progress Administration in US history
●
Works Progress Administration of important, key
events
●
Franklin Roosevelt
Presidency from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945
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Fast, fun facts about the Works Progress
Administration
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Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Franklin Roosevelt
● Franklin Roosevelt Presidency and
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