Representation of Workers, Immigrants and African Americans by the New Deal
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1932, democrats developed a plan focusing mainly on the minorities such as African Americans, workers, immigrants, and religious minorities. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were some of the many programs representing minorities in the New Deal. The goal of CCC was to protect the nation’s natural resources by employing minorities. The African Americans participated in the construction of road and rail tracks in North Carolina. They removed dead tree trunks preventing forest fires, and received 30 dollars from the government (Patel, 2021). They were provided with food, shelter, and education as CCC had a rule prohibiting recruitment based on race or religion, which favored the minorities well.
The WPA focused on the well-being of minorities by ensuring that their psychological, social, and economic problems were solved, giving them peace of mind. An estimated 15% of the WPA workers were immigrants, and others were discriminated against in race (Kelley, 2021). It had federal music and theatre initiatives that supported the talents of musicians and African American actors without any favor. WPA allowed women to perform clerical jobs, canning as well as working as librarians. Through the federal writer’s project, black history and culture were conserved.
Extend to which the New Deal Ended Great Depression and Restored the Economy
WPA and CCC played a compatible role in ending the Great Depression and restoring the economy. The two programs provided jobs to minorities who could work in various public projects, leading to the recovery of the nation’s economy. The CCC was created to address the unemployment issues among minorities during the Great Depression period. By conserving natural resources, about two million minorities received 30 dollars (Patel, 2021). WPA provided opportunities to the minority groups that participated in clerical and librarian positions and gardening jobs, which enhanced the people’s purchasing power, leading to economic recovery. The New Deal elevated the financial situation by addressing unemployment by providing assignments that solved social and economic problems. Problems such as declining industrial output and lack of jobs were reduced by half, and millions of immigrants and African Americans got jobs. This shows that the New Deal helped to end the Great Depression and restore the nation’s economy.
References
Kelley, S. (2021). 8. Democracy and the New Deal Party System. In Democracy and the welfare state (pp. 185-206). Princeton University Press.
Patel, K. K. (2021). The Rise of Comparison and the Rise of the New Deal Order. InDecentering Comparative Analysis in a Globalizing World (pp. 193-212).