The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was a short-lived job creation program established by the New Deal during the Great Depression in the United States to rapidly create mostly manual-labor jobs for millions of unemployed workers. The jobs were merely temporary, for the duration of the hard winter of 1933–34. President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveiled the CWA on November 8, 1933, and put Harry L. Hopkins in charge of the short-term agency.
Civil Works Administration workers cleaning and painting the gold dome of the Colorado State Capitol (1934)
The CWA was a project created under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). The CWA created construction jobs, mainly improving or constructing buildings and bridges. It ended on March 31, 1934, after spending $200 million a month and giving jobs to four million people.
CWA workers laid 12 million feet of sewer pipe and built or improved 255,000 miles of roads, 40,000 schools, 3,700 playgrounds, and nearly 1,000 airports.[1] The program was praised by Alf Landon, who later ran against Roosevelt in the 1936 election.[1]
Representative of the work are one county's accomplishments in less than five months, from November 1933 to March 1934. Grand Forks County, North Dakota put 2,392 unemployed workers on its payroll at a cost of about $250,000. When the CWA began in eastern Connecticut, it could hire only 480 workers out of 1,500 who registered for jobs. Projects undertaken included work on city utility systems, public buildings, parks, and roads. Rural areas profited, with most labor being directed to roads and community schools. CWA officials gave preference to veterans with dependents, but considerable political favoritism determined which North Dakotans got jobs.[2]
Although the CWA provided much employment, there were critics who said there was nothing of permanent value. Roosevelt told his cabinet that this criticism moved him to end the program and replace it with the WPA which would have long-term value for the society, in addition to short-term benefits for the unemployed.[3]
^Roger D. Hardaway, "The New Deal at the Local Level: The Civil Works Administration in Grand Forks County, North Dakota," North Dakota History, 1991, Vol. 58 Issue 2, pp 20–30
^Harold L. Ickes, Secret Diary of Harold L. Ickes: The First Thousand Days 1933–1936 (1953) p. 256[ISBN missing]
Further readingedit
Badger, Anthony J. "Doles and Jobs: Welfare." in The New Deal (Palgrave Macmillan, London, 1989) pp. 190–244.[ISBN missing]
Bremer, William W. "Along the "American Way": The New Deal's Work Relief Programs for the Unemployed", Journal of American History Vol. 62, No. 3 (Dec., 1975), pp. 636–652 in JSTOR
Lewis, Michael. "No Relief From Politics: Machine Bosses and Civil Works." Urban Affairs Quarterly 30.2 (1994): 210–226.
Lyon, Edwin A. A new deal for southeastern archaeology (University of Alabama Press, 1996).[ISBN missing]
Neumann, Todd C., Price V. Fishback, and Shawn Kantor. "The dynamics of relief spending and the private urban labor market during the New Deal." Journal of Economic History 70.1 (2010): 195–220. online
Peters, Charles and Timothy Noah. "Wrong Harry – Four million jobs in two years? FDR did it in two months" Slate Jan. 26, 2009 online
Schwartz, Bonnie Fox. The Civil Works Administration, 1933–1934: The Business of Emergency Employment in the New Deal (1984), a standard scholarly history[ISBN missing]
Smith, Jason Scott. Building new deal liberalism: The political economy of public works, 1933–1956 (Cambridge University Press, 2006).[ISBN missing]
Walker, Forrest A. The Civil Works Administration: an experiment in Federal work relief, 1933–1934 (1979), a standard scholarly history[ISBN missing]
Primary sourcesedit
McJimsey, George, ed. FDR, Harry Hopkins, and the civil works administration (LexisNexis, 2006) 679 pages; vol 30. of the Documentary History of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration
"Report on Civil Works Administration of Alabama, Jefferson County Division, Nov. 19, 1933 – Mar. 31, 1934" in the Birmingham Public Library's Digital Collections [dead link]
Four million jobs in two years? FDR did it in two months.
University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – Civil Works Administration Photographs 119 images showing work projects in King County, Washington established under the auspices of the Civil Works Administration in 1933–34.
External linksedit
Media related to Civil Works Administration at Wikimedia Commons
February 15, 2024
civil, works, administration, short, lived, creation, program, established, deal, during, great, depression, united, states, rapidly, create, mostly, manual, labor, jobs, millions, unemployed, workers, jobs, were, merely, temporary, duration, hard, winter, 193. The Civil Works Administration CWA was a short lived job creation program established by the New Deal during the Great Depression in the United States to rapidly create mostly manual labor jobs for millions of unemployed workers The jobs were merely temporary for the duration of the hard winter of 1933 34 President Franklin D Roosevelt unveiled the CWA on November 8 1933 and put Harry L Hopkins in charge of the short term agency Civil Works Administration workers cleaning and painting the gold dome of the Colorado State Capitol 1934 The CWA was a project created under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration FERA The CWA created construction jobs mainly improving or constructing buildings and bridges It ended on March 31 1934 after spending 200 million a month and giving jobs to four million people Contents 1 Accomplishments 2 Opposition 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 5 1 Primary sources 6 External linksAccomplishments editCWA workers laid 12 million feet of sewer pipe and built or improved 255 000 miles of roads 40 000 schools 3 700 playgrounds and nearly 1 000 airports 1 The program was praised by Alf Landon who later ran against Roosevelt in the 1936 election 1 Representative of the work are one county s accomplishments in less than five months from November 1933 to March 1934 Grand Forks County North Dakota put 2 392 unemployed workers on its payroll at a cost of about 250 000 When the CWA began in eastern Connecticut it could hire only 480 workers out of 1 500 who registered for jobs Projects undertaken included work on city utility systems public buildings parks and roads Rural areas profited with most labor being directed to roads and community schools CWA officials gave preference to veterans with dependents but considerable political favoritism determined which North Dakotans got jobs 2 nbsp Rock jail in Camp Verde Arizona 1933 nbsp CWA marker at Breese Stevens Field in Madison Wisconsin 1934 nbsp Marker for Grant Park in Phoenix 1934 nbsp CWA project in Minnesota to straighten a road by removing a solid rock obstruction 1934 nbsp Building the high school athletic field in Huntsville Alabama 1934 nbsp CWA sanitary workers in Chicago 1933 nbsp Grandview Park Music Pavilion Sioux City Iowa 1934 nbsp Scenic boulevard built by 6 000 workers in San Francisco California 1934 nbsp El Monte Golf Course Clubhouse in Ogden Utah 1935 nbsp Hangar at the municipal airport in Montgomery Alabama 1934 nbsp Rocky Neck State Park Trail Bridge in East Lyme Connecticut 1934 nbsp Community building in Stockton Missouri 1934 nbsp Grey Eagle Village Hall in Grey Eagle Minnesota 1934 nbsp Leonidas Stone School Leonidas Michigan Opposition editAlthough the CWA provided much employment there were critics who said there was nothing of permanent value Roosevelt told his cabinet that this criticism moved him to end the program and replace it with the WPA which would have long term value for the society in addition to short term benefits for the unemployed 3 See also editWorks Progress Administration Civilian Conservation Corps Public Works AdministrationReferences edit a b Peters Charles Noah Timothy Jan 26 2009 Wrong Harry Four million jobs in two years FDR did it in two months Slate Roger D Hardaway The New Deal at the Local Level The Civil Works Administration in Grand Forks County North Dakota North Dakota History 1991 Vol 58 Issue 2 pp 20 30 Harold L Ickes Secret Diary of Harold L Ickes The First Thousand Days 1933 1936 1953 p 256 ISBN missing Further reading editBadger Anthony J Doles and Jobs Welfare in The New Deal Palgrave Macmillan London 1989 pp 190 244 ISBN missing Bremer William W Along the American Way The New Deal s Work Relief Programs for the Unemployed Journal of American History Vol 62 No 3 Dec 1975 pp 636 652 in JSTOR Hopkins June Harry Hopkins Sudden hero brash reformer Springer 2016 ISBN missing Lewis Michael No Relief From Politics Machine Bosses and Civil Works Urban Affairs Quarterly 30 2 1994 210 226 Lyon Edwin A A new deal for southeastern archaeology University of Alabama Press 1996 ISBN missing Neumann Todd C Price V Fishback and Shawn Kantor The dynamics of relief spending and the private urban labor market during the New Deal Journal of Economic History 70 1 2010 195 220 online Peters Charles and Timothy Noah Wrong Harry Four million jobs in two years FDR did it in two months Slate Jan 26 2009 online Schwartz Bonnie Fox The Civil Works Administration 1933 1934 The Business of Emergency Employment in the New Deal 1984 a standard scholarly history ISBN missing Smith Jason Scott Building new deal liberalism The political economy of public works 1933 1956 Cambridge University Press 2006 ISBN missing Walker Forrest A The Civil Works Administration an experiment in Federal work relief 1933 1934 1979 a standard scholarly history ISBN missing Primary sources edit McJimsey George ed FDR Harry Hopkins and the civil works administration LexisNexis 2006 679 pages vol 30 of the Documentary History of the Franklin D Roosevelt Administration Report on Civil Works Administration of Alabama Jefferson County Division Nov 19 1933 Mar 31 1934 in the Birmingham Public Library s Digital Collections dead link Four million jobs in two years FDR did it in two months 1934 A New Deal for Artists is an exhibition on the artists of the Great Depression at the Smithsonian American Art Museum University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections Civil Works Administration Photographs 119 images showing work projects in King County Washington established under the auspices of the Civil Works Administration in 1933 34 External links edit nbsp Media related to Civil Works Administration at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Civil Works Administration amp oldid 1195925608, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
