US National Archives
Nara: Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933
See the text of the Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933, enacted a mere five days after the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Read about the provisions put in place in an attempt to shore up confidence in the American financial...
A&E Television
History.com: Hoovervilles
Offers a concise overview of life during the Great Depression and the living conditions of Hoovervilles.
Indiana University
Wpa Exhibit Project: The Works Projects Administration in Indiana
Although this site concerns itself with the WPA in Indiana, the information provides a good overall look at the Works Progress Administration in the rest of country during the New Deal era.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Edwin Witte, 1887 1960
Edwin Witte was known as the founder of Social Security, having created the plan for it when he worked on the Committee on Economic Security under President Franklin Roosevelt. This is a biography of his life.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Wagner Act
Provides interesting facts and information about the 1935 Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act), a New Deal reform that guaranteed workers the right to organize unions and to bargain collectively.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Civilian Conservation Corps
Discover interesting facts and information about the Civilian Conservation Corps that was established to employ young men to work on conservation projects and was created as part of FDR's New Deal Programs.
![Ss Bulletin: Constitutional Background to the Social Security Act of 1935 [Pdf] Primary](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Ss Bulletin: Constitutional Background to the Social Security Act of 1935 [Pdf] Primary")
Other
Ss Bulletin: Constitutional Background to the Social Security Act of 1935 [Pdf]
A very interesting discussion of the potential problems that plagued the implementation of the Social Security Act. Read about the cases brought before the Supreme Court which gave Congress the constitutional ability to tax and spend for...
Oklahoma Historical Society
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma: Federal Art Project
As part of the Works Progress Administration, the Federal Art Project's goal was to provide employment to artists who would be educators and creators of public art. Read about the legacy of the Federal Art Project in Oklahoma during the...
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: April 8: Works Progress Administration
The Library of Congress' On This Day site gives an overview of the Works Progress Administration with links to information about various projects within the WPA available on the Library of Congress site.
Social Security Administration
Social Security Online: 1937 Supreme Court Opinions
An in-depth discussion on the constitutionality of the Social Security Act and the 1937 Supreme Court decisions that helped settle it.
US National Archives
Our Documents: National Industrial Recovery Act (1933)
Along with an image of the first page of the National Industrial Recovery Act is an excellent description of what it entailed and the high hopes of improving the economy its passing engendered. You can also read about the opposition to...
Lin and Don Donn
American History Lesson Plans: Fdr's Fireside Chats
A great lesson plan to examine Franklin D. Roosevelt's first fireside chat and apply the format in explaining a current economic problem.
Social Security Administration
Social Security Online: A Tea Party That Changed History
Essay discussing how Frances Perkins was involved in passage of the Social Security Act. Also contains a link to a speech given by Perkins to SSA employees.
Social Security Administration
Social Security Online: Historical Development [Pdf]
Social Security Online provides a history of the beginning of Social Security. The United States was one of the last developed countries to adopt an old-age pension system.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: A Bank Holiday
Actions taken by Franklin D. Roosevelt upon becoming president in 1933. Read about how he took immediate steps to restore confidence in the banking segment of the American economy.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: 300 Women Who Changed History: Frances Perkins
Encyclopedia Britannica provides a biography of Frances Perkins. Appointed secretary of labor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she was the first female cabinet member.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1890 1945: Fdr and the Great Depression
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president in 1932. He immediately embarked on an ambitious plan to get the country out of the Great Depression.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Works Progress Administration (Wpa)
A great summary of the Works Progress Administration, its goals, and the support it gave ordinary workers as well as artists, writers, and musicians.
Other
Bienes Center for the Literary Arts: A Brief Overview of the Wpa
Read descriptions of the various programs for unemployed artists that were part of the Works Progress Administration.
US National Archives
Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: The Wpa: Antidote to the Great Depression?
[Free Registration/Login Required] A good assessment of the Works Progress Administration and its contribution not only of providing jobs for the unemployed during the Great Depression, but for the lasting improvements it made in the...
Other
Employment and Training Institute: Wpa Milwaukee Handicraft Project
Article on a WPA program in Milwaukee which provided work for unskilled women laborers. Great resource for students of all ages.
State Library-Florida
Florida Memory: Zora Neale Hurston and the Wpa in Florida
An account of the African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston and her experiences in Florida while working on the WPA. Includes a complete piece by Hurston entitled "Turpentine," photos and lesson plans.
University of Washington
University of Washington in Seattle: The Great Depression in Washington State
This website provides a large collection of resources, many of them primary resources, for studying about the impact of the Great Depression on Washington State.