Includes bibliographical references and index.

A nation unemployed -- The first New deal work programs -- Formation of the Works Progress Administration -- WPA construction projects -- The WPA arts, service, women's, and youth programs -- The end of the WPA -- Legacy of the WPA.

Narrative overview. A nation unemployed ; The first New Deal work programs ; Formation of the Works Progress Administration ; WPA construction projects ; The WPA arts, service, women's, and youth programs ; The end of the WPA ; Legacy of the WPA -- Biographies. Mary McLeod Bethune (1887-1955) ; Martin Dies Jr. (1900-1972) ; Harry Hopkins (1890-1946) ; Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) ; Mr. Mahoney (1883-?) ; Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) ; Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) ; Orson Welles (1915-1985) ; Ellen S. Woodward (1887-1971) -- Primary sources. Chronicling the difficulties of Depression-era unemployment ; Walter Lippmann urges a new approach to work relief ; President Roosevelt discusses the Works Progress Administration ; Residents of the southern United States recall the WPA ; Hallie Flanagan describes Harry Hopkins's ideas about work relief ; The WPA explains its mission ; A young artist describes his experiences with the WPA's Federal Art Project ; An actor in the Federal Theatre Project recalls the staging of The cradle will rock -- The FTP's "Living newspaper" plays - insightful commentary or government propaganda? ; Herbert Hoover condemns the Works Progress Administration ; President Roosevelt discontinues the WPA ; Comparing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to the WPA.

"Provides users with a detailed and authoritative overview of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the centerpiece of the New Deal programs put in place by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to tame the Great Depression and get America back on its feet. Includes biographies, primary sources, and more"-- Provided by publisher.

Grade 9 to 12.