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Workers Applaud the New Deal's Works Progress Administration

In this letter to President Roosevelt written in 1936, Michigan workers express their gratitude for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) programs and urge the president to continue WPA efforts. The letter describes how working improves their self-esteem and makes them feel like active participants in society.

Battle Creek Mich.
April 5, 1936

President Roosevelt:

Please continue this W.P.A. progam. It makes us feel like an American citizen to earn our own living. Being on the dole or relief roll makes us lazy and the funds are not enough to live decent on. We are thankful for what we receive though.

So we as W.P.A. workers in Battle Creek Michigan, appeal to you as our Great Leader to continue this great cause for Better citizens in Battle Creek Michigan.

Your Faithful,
W.P.A. workers
of Battle Creek

Source | Robert S. McElvaine, ed., Down & Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the "Forgotten Man" (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1983), 127.
Creator | Various
Item Type | Diary/Letter
Cite This document | Various, “Workers Applaud the New Deal's Works Progress Administration,” SHEC: Resources for Teachers, accessed March 29, 2024, https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/680.

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