WPA (Works Progress Administration) - 1937

A clip from a short government film about the the Works Progress Administration, one of the New Deal programs started during the Great Depression. This clip shows road, bridge, and airport construction, as well as water and sewer projects. Posted by David Burns for the Fasttrack American History Project.

Teachers: For full screen use, choose the "watch in high quality" option or download the free MPEG file for this video from the online Prelinger Archive.

• Category

  Education

[twinsbubbe]

I learned a lot. Hope President Obama sees this

[yosoytacoseasoning]

whoa, dozens of laborers working AT THE SAME TIME? I thought all construction had to be done with one guy in a hole, one guy holding a traffic sign, and 6 guys standing around watching the guy in the hole.

[Kalkas53]

it was damn near impossible to get fired from the WPA

[lankness1]

Um.... you guys realize this is basically propaganda? This is not "history." You need to know what you are watching. This is a government video much like the ones other countries were making at the time and since the turn of the century. I really shouldn't have to say more.

[inferno33222]

Isn't it nice to see work get done?

[rightdemocrat]

American needs another New Deal.

[John Burt]

*AHEM* Mister President....

[SpitfireOFatj]

Whenever you talk about a works program to today's Right Winger they call it "making government bigger" and "loss of freedom" as if hiring people to build bridges and roads is the same as hiring pilots for a new fleet of Black Helicopters to spy on them and steal their guns.

[shadowkitty56]

Sigh. I would be so happy if we could do this thing again and build a bullet train system....or give L.A. a subway system that is much more extensive.....or even remove a few dams we don't need anymore....

Siiiigh.

[1tamtom]

this is what we need here now. millions out of work and roads bridges and dams need work,yet we pump money in other countries,why not our people.

[Scott Brenner]

Good stuff. Thanks.