Introduce to students the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as a key program of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression using the brief overview that follows or an option of your choosing.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was established in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support Americans who were unemployed due to the economic downturn. This program, as part of the New Deal, was in response to the Great Depression in the United States. 

The WPA encompassed various projects, including the construction of public buildings, roads, bridges, and parks, as well as initiatives in the arts, such as the Federal Art Project, the Federal Writers’ Project, and the Federal Music Project. The Federal Art Project, for instance, employed African American artists to create murals, paintings, and sculptures for public buildings and community spaces. The Federal Writers’ Project employed African American writers to document the history and culture of African American communities and to produce guidebooks, oral histories, and literary works. 

Opportunities such as these, provided employment opportunities for many African Americans, helping to stimulate economic activity in African American communities and providing greater recognition of African American artistic and cultural contributions. Though this support and recognition helped to challenge racial stereotypes and discrimination, the WPA also faced criticism for perpetuating racial segregation and inequality. Many WPA projects maintained separate facilities and work crews for African American workers, and African American artists and writers often faced discrimination and marginalization within the program.

In 1943, at the start of World War II, the United States shifted its focus to wartime production and the WPA program was ended.

Following this overview, break students into three small groups and provide them time to do research to respond to one of the questions below. Students should prepare to be able to share their findings back with the whole class. 

• What were some of the cultural projects supported by the WPA, and how did they impact African American artists, writers, musicians, and performers?
• What challenges did African Americans face within the WPA, and how were these challenges navigated?
• How did the end of the WPA impact African American communities and the broader American society?

Return to the whole group and review responses from small group research, Then as a whole group discuss the following questions:

• Reflecting on the WPA’s impact on African Americans, what lessons can we learn about the intersection of government policy, economic hardship, and cultural expression?