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New Deal Programs, How it Changed American Life - Essay Critique



samuraitom 23 / 18  
Oct 23, 2007   #1
The topic was to pick one of the New Deal programs and explain how it changed American life.

Is the quote in the conclusion too much? Does it fit with the rest of the essay?

Critique thanks!


The New Deal was a policy directed by Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide relief for the American economy and people during the Great Depression. Out of the New Deal, there will be dozen of programs that assisted the United States into recovery from the depression. Of them all, The Works Progress Administration (WPA) would become the largest and accomplished of the New Deal programs. The WPA helped to change many American lives by employment and improving the country's infrastructure.

The WPA was established on April 1935. Although the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) and Civil Works Administration (CWA) came before the WPA, the WPA would soon turn into the principal program and one of the largest employers in the United States. WPA was headed by Harry L. Hopkins, one of Roosevelt's closest advisors and Eleanor's closest friend. "Hopkins believed. 'Give a man a dole,' he observed, 'and you save his body and destroy his spirit. Give him a job and you save both body and spirit'." The purpose of the program was not to provide welfare, but to provide work which helped Americans keep their dignity and self-esteem. WPA contributed to the construction of 78,000 bridges, 116,000 buildings, and 1,047,000 km of roads and 800 airports improvements. The WPA employed more than 8.5 million people. These 8.5 million men and women were able to feed, sheltered, and clothed their family.

Labor workers were not the only ones to be employed, artists and artisans were also hired to produce work of arts and crafts. When Harry Hopkins was criticized for the employment of artists, he replied, "Hell! They've got to eat just like other people." These artists created more than 17,744 sculptures and 2,566 murals that decorated public buildings nationwide. They presented approximately 225,000 concerts, and produced 475,000 pieces of art overall. This allowed many unknown artists to receive recognition for their works. At this time, many Americans enjoyed and were introduced to many styles of art. Ultimately, this led to the future creation of the National Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Women were also employed; although, it was a meager amount compared to the men. Women received the same wages as the men. The women were assigned to less labor-intensive work such as sewing. Ellen Woodward, directed the women's division of the WPA, successfully pushed for their acceptance in the Professional Projects Divisions, which helped further the equality of females in the professional atmosphere. African Americans were helped by the program, employing over 5,000 black educators to teach illiterate African Americans which helped to cut the nation's illiteracy rate by five percent. The WPA not only did this, but was also involved in the black communities. Blacks received free dental and medical care from doctors staffed by the WPA. Black artists and artisans were encouraged and funded by the WPA.

The WPA was vital for the recovery of the nation and provided millions with work and money. Almost every person was affected by the program in some way. The program essentially provided million of Americans hope for the better future of the nation. It helped establish Roosevelt as one of the great American presidents; a poem sent to Roosevelt in 1936, "I THINK THAT WE SHALL NEVER SEE / A PRESIDENT LIKE UNTO THEE . . . POEMS ARE MADE BY FOOLS LIKE ME, / BUT GOD, I THINK, MADE FRANKLIN D."

EF_Team2 1 / 1703  
Oct 23, 2007   #2
Greetings!

You've written an interesting and informative essay! I really like the quote at the end. I've just tweaked the punctuation a little; and, of course, don't put it in caps. Here are some more suggestions:

Out of the New Deal, there would be (or "were" or "came" instead of "would be") dozen of programs

Of them all, The Works Progress Administration (WPA) would become the largest and most accomplished of the New Deal programs.

"Hopkins believed. 'Give a man a dole,' he observed, 'and you save his body and destroy his spirit. Give him a job and you save both body and spirit'." - Is this a quote within a quote? If so, what is the source you are quoting from? If not, you only need to put Hopkins's words in quotation marks, not Hopkins believed (and follow that with a comma, not a period).

800 airport improvements.

These 8.5 million men and women were able to feed, shelter, and clothe their families.

Labor workers were not the only ones to be employed; artists and artisans were also hired to produce works of art and crafts.

Women were also employed, although it was a meager amount compared to the men.

Ellen Woodward [delete ,] directed the women's division of the WPA and successfully pushed for their acceptance in the Professional Projects Divisions, which helped further the equality of females in the professional atmosphere.

It helped establish Roosevelt as one of the great American presidents. A poem sent to Roosevelt in 1936 said it best: "I THINK THAT WE SHALL NEVER SEE / A PRESIDENT LIKE UNTO THEE . . . POEMS ARE MADE BY FOOLS LIKE ME, / BUT GOD, I THINK, MADE FRANKLIN D."

Good work!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com
OP samuraitom 23 / 18  
Oct 24, 2007   #3
Yes, it's a quote within a quote. The quote came from an article on PBS website about surviving the Dust Bowl.

Do you mean not to put the quote at the end of the essay in caps?
EF_Team2 1 / 1703  
Oct 25, 2007   #4
Greetings!

In that case, you will need to cite the PBS website, using whatever citation form your instructor requires. Otherwise, using the quote without crediting its source is plagiarism.

Yes, I meant don't put the quote at the end in caps--or was it in caps in the original? That would be unusual, but if that's how it was, you should probably leave it that way. One generally quotes the original exactly as it was. You should also cite your source for this quote.

I hope this helps!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com
OP samuraitom 23 / 18  
Oct 25, 2007   #5
Yes, it's in standard MLA format so I have a work cited page for the quotes and the websites where I got all my information from. Yep, it was already in caps.


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