New Deal Accomplishments

Above: A booklet and guide for public forums - Bulletin 1935, No. 17 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1936). The New Deal--through the Office of Educaton and the WPA--created the Federal Forum Project , 1936-1941, so that Americans could meet and discuss issues important to their lives and their country. The forums were different than today's town halls, in that they were often led by subject matter experts and, in many cases, facilitated smaller group discussions.  Image scanned from a personal copy . Above: The driving force behind nationwide public forums in the United States--designed to enhance civic knowledge and democracy, and with funding assistance from the federal government--was John W. Studebaker (1887-1989), U.S. Commissioner of Education, 1934-1948. Studebaker was adamant that a healthy democracy required an engaged population, routinely meeting to discuss matters of local and national importance, understanding the facts, and considering solu...

In this blog post, "I.A.W.," refers to Indians at Work, a publication of the U.S. Office of Indian Affairs that ran from 1933 to 1945. Issues cited here can usually be found on Hathitrust . Above: The New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA) allotted $350,000 to the Fruitland Irrigation Project in Navajo Nation, New Mexico, 1934. PWA-funded projects on reservation land prioritized the employment of American Indians into general labor, skilled labor, and supervisory positions. Photo from I.A.W, July 1, 1934, p. 32 . Above: This PWA-funded, Indian-built hospital, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, "has a capacity of 69 beds, with operating facilities and x-ray and laboratory facilities. There are quarters for employees, including provision for twelve nurses and a doctor. This is a general hospital, intended primarily for treatment of Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes." Quote and photo from I.A.W., June 1938, p. 13 . Above: Another of the many PWA-funded, Indian-bui...