The Great Depression in the 1930s was a devastating blow to the American economy and peoples. In fact, it left 15 million people, more than twenty percent of the population, unemployed and without a source of income. Jobs were few and far between for everyone, but some of those whom the unemployment hit hardest were those involved in theater and the arts. That was where the Federal Theater Project (FTP) was intended to come into the picture; however, it did not do so successfully. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the FTP were successful in having audiences and critics alike, pleased with their shows. Despite this, however, there was still a lot of backlash against the program and even the New Deal itself. A lot of conflict originated from the fact that the FTP was announced to be “free, adult, uncensored theater” but did not follow those guidelines. “I am asked whether a theater subsidized by the government can be kept free of censorship, and I say, yes, it is going to be kept free of censorship” (text 3 paragraph 4). Instead of being censorship free as Harry Hopkins pledged in the announcement of the FTP, it was plagued by the censorship of the government. …show more content…
However, it did not have that same success with smaller towns as it was originally intended to do, The author of A Brief Overview of the WPA Bienes Center for the Literary Arts stated,”Originally designed to offer “free, adult, uncensored theater” the FTP was able to pump new life into the dying theater of large cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, fulfilling one aim of the project, but the goal of integrating theater into the smaller cities of America through the development of independent, community, and experimental groups was never realized.” If the FTP had executed providing theatrical support better, it may have been much more
The season of the 1930’s sparked the strike of the Great Depression. To the surprise of many, theaters everywhere began to shut down. People around the nation lost jobs and struggled to provide for themselves. However, there was a breakthrough: Franklin Roosevelt created the New Deal. Funded by the government, the New Deal created jobs in a variety areas. Even with these changes the theaters and arts still had difficulties. Thus, the Federal Theater Project was established. The projected presented over 1,000 performances each month and life was pumped back into theaters.
The decade of the 1930’s can be characterized in two parts: The Great Depression, and the restoration of the American economy. America had been completely destroyed due to the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It was up to the government and people of the 1930’s to "mend" America’s wounds. One man stood up to this challenge, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He promised to fix the American economy, provide jobs, and help the needy. During The Great Depression, the crime rate had risen to an all new high. J. Edgar Hoover helped to create the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As America was restored, culture grew quickly. Dance clubs, new music styles, glamour girls, movies and sports were all popular forms of entertainment in the
Around the 1930’s, the economy has crashed, and the dust bowl had happened which led into a difficult economic hardship for millions of people worldwide. It also brought people like Langston Hughes, Upton Sinclair, and many other talented people to be involved in events that has happened in the 1930's. The living conditions during the time wasn’t the greatest and was extremely difficult just to pass on by due the great depression that had happened. The great depression has cause many political crises not just in America, but all over the world. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the New Deal
The Great Depression brought hardship to every aspect of life in the 1930’s and took almost 15 million jobs. Franklin D. Roosevelt passed a plan to fund experimental projects to provide jobs through government needs, collectively known as The New Deal. The programs created a way for unemployed, or homeless Americans rebuild their lives and country. Today we have financial aid either through the same systems or improved ideas that came from the Great Depression.
In the 1930’s our nation’s widest economic crisis hit, the Great Depression. With the deepest and longest depression in our history. With crisis came major problems within the American people. These problems forced Americans and the government to find a way to deal with these hard times.
The 1930s was a decade in the history of the United States marked by a great deal of suffering of the general public. A failing economy, an anthropogenically-induced disaster in the Midwest and persecution of colored people resulted in a total meltdown of American society. Meanwhile, ordinary people sought escape from this cycle of depression through entertainment such as radio, film and music.
The Federal Art Project was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression in 1929 through 1943. One of the great programs of the FAP was established by nearly 100 community art centers that provided art classes for children and new artists. Having made previous attempts such as ‘Public Works of Art Project’ which lasted from 1933-1934, Roosevelt was inspired to create the Works Progress Administration. During the mid 1930s, the US had still been at the center of the Great Depression, with an effort to give people economic relief, Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration, which was created under Federal Project One. The Federal Art Project was designed to enhance the incomes of artists’ and fund patriotic art projects to try and rally disheartened Americans.
From 1929 to 1939, millions of Americans and investors were out of jobs and money. Due to one of the most tragic times in America, The Great Depression. Many were having trouble finding food for their families and keeping their family farms and homes. Though, not everyone suffered from this depression, it’s said that over 13 million Americans had lost their job by 1932. This time in history made many people depend on one another.
The 1930’s brought new forms of entertainment, most of which are still relevant today, but with incredible upgrades. During the Great Depression, people had to find ways to keep themselves busy, and keep themselves distracted from the hard life they were living. They wanted to keep away from dealing with the harsh reality of things. Many forms of entertainment became popular, such as baseball, football, movies, and the radio, and still thrive today, but with less of a “blast from the past” look, because they are all constantly changing.
The stock market crash in 1929 had a devastating effect on the American citizens and people around the world. Thousands of men and women were out of work, banks were being closed, people lost all their hard-earned savings, families were being evicted from their homes, food was hard to attain, the world was in a dismal and desperate state. In one form or another the Great Depression troubled everyone. However, there was a lot of good and success that occurred during this dark time. As author and English professor Marianna Torgovnick states “ the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, King Kong… Fred Astaire, Shirley Temple… Joe DiMaggio, Amelia Earhart, Dracula Films, the Lone Ranger, Superman,
The 1920s seemed to promise a future of a new and wonderful way of life for America and its citizens . Modern science, evolving cultural norms, industrialization, and even jazz music heralded exciting opportunities and a future that only pointed up toward a better life. However, cracks in the facade started to show, and beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 the wealth of the country, and with it the hopes and expectations of its people, began to slip away. The Great Depression left a quarter of the population unemployed and much of the rest destitute and uncertain of what the future held. Wealth vanished, people took their money out of banks, and plans were put on hold. The most significant way in which the Great Depression affected Americans’ everyday lives was through poverty because it tore relationships apart and damaged the spirit of society while unexpectedly bringing families together in unity.
It is not argued by anyone in the historical or economic communities that the Great Depression was in fact the worst period of history that the United States has ever experienced. Before discussing this event and what interventions from the government followed, we must first look at the economic and cultural changes which allowed the economy to grow to such levels that a crash like that in 1929 can be a catalyst in what would be a decade of mass unemployment and suffering for Americans, especially in the middle class. The 1920’s was a decade of great change for America, both economically and
It is almost nine decades since the outbreak of great depression of 1929 and it still haunts the economy of America today. The Great Depression was a time of financial hardships and misery for the Americans. America experienced a time of wreckage and terror. The Great Depression was not a sudden collapse. Many events led up to the most traumatic economic period of modern times. World War I, the “Roaring Twenties” and unequal distribution of wealth among the people were all origins of the Great Depression but a specific cause to this disaster stills remains a mystery today.
The Great Depression was a time of great struggle. The stock market crashed in 1929, which accounted for 40 percent of America’s capital. People lost their life savings as the banks scrambled to refill their coffers. Farm income fell 50 percent. Corporations collapsed. Businesses closed. Roughly one-fourth of the nation lost their jobs. Those who were able to keep their jobs experienced an over 30 percent drop in salary. This catastrophe did not affect everyone though. The Upper Class was largely unaffected by the state of the nation. They went on having lush parties and living fancily. In retrospect, they probably saved a lot of livelihoods. Those in the service and entertainment industry were able to maintain a steady
The America in the 1930s was drastically different from the luxurious 1920s. The stock market had crashed to an all time low, unemployment was the highest the country had ever seen, and all American citizens were affected by it in some way or another. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal was effective in addressing the issues of The Great Depression in the sense that it provided immediate relief to US citizens by lowering unemployment, increasing trust in the banks, getting Americans out of debt, and preventing future economic crisis from taking place through reform. Despite these efforts The New Deal failed to end the depression. In order for America to get out of this economic