The Day the Lights Came On: HOW RURAL ELECTRIFICATION REVOLUTIONIZED THE HOME LIFE OF FARMERS Lexa Armstrong Junior Division Research Paper “THE GOOD FAIRY, ELECTRICITY, HAS WAVED HER MAGIC WAND ACROSS MY PATH, AND NOW I LEAD A CHARMED LIFE…” -­‐ Anonymous, Tama County, Iowa, 1937, Wallaces’ Farmer During the Great Depression, a great majority of rural America lacked vital infrastructure often taken for granted in modern society. Without access to electricity, daily life on American farms was somewhat primitive, with little improvement being made over decades. In comparison with their urban neighbors, farmers’ lives were “in the dark” and they continued to contend with inconsistent lighting, outdated methods for food preservation, hand pumps for water, and fire or gas stoves for cooking. Such archaic conditions were reformed dramatically when President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and his associate, Morris Cooke, originated the revolutionary idea to provide government subsidized electricity to rural communities.1 The Rural Electrification Administration and the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (collectively the “REA”) upgraded the antiquated conditions by providing electricity to rural Americans. With access to electricity, a new world of possibilities came to exist, positively impacting millions of farmers’ lives. The REA revolutionized work in the home, creating more comforts and leisure time. Today, the government may institute another act which could similarly impact the lives of rural Americans. In the spirit of the REA, President Barack Obama recently submitted a bill to provide broadband Internet service to rural Americans.2 Broadband Internet service is also a revolutionary technology that farmers in prior decades would have never dreamed possible. Imagine the reaction of 1
Morris L. Cooke was a friend of President Roosevelt. He was appointed the first administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration. 2
President Barack Hussein Obama speech, “National Wireless Initiative,” (White House.gov) <http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-­‐and-­‐video/video/2011/02/20/president-­‐obama-­‐national-­‐wireless-­‐initiative>. 10 February 2011. 1 the farming community; their standard of life would improve dramatically. In advocating this cause, President Obama is following in the footsteps of President Roosevelt. AUTHOR’S VOICE My great grandfather was a farmer in Kentucky. He told my grandfather, who told my dad, who told me how the government created the REA that “lit up” his and my great grandmother’s farm. Having heard about how positively my great grandparents reacted to the REA, I was curious to learn more about the revolutionary electrical service. Therefore, when I heard the National History Day theme Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, I thought of the REA and how it directly impacted my family. I was also interested in studying the unique parallels of the modern-­‐day proposal for government supported broadband Internet service to rural areas and the sensibilities of the REA. Upon deciding that the revolutionary impact of the REA would be my NHD topic, I immediately researched the REA on the Internet and visited the Dunedin Library. I found numerous books about Franklin D. Roosevelt, and vast amounts of information pertaining to the REA, including photographs of electrical lines and farmers’ quotes. I kept digging deeper. I asked questions like, “Was electricity spread to all parts of rural America?” I interviewed Dr. Laurence Malone3 who has authored several scholarly papers on the REA. Additionally, I interviewed Dorothy Heddon4 and Norma Jean Wasmuth5 each who lived in rural America in the 1930s and vividly remember the lights coming on in their home. 3
Dr. Laurence J. Malone, interview by author, digital recording of telephone conversation, 28 December 2011. Dr. Malone, an REA expert, is a Professor of Economics at Hartwick College. He has authored several books and scholarly papers. His papers have brought national acclaim and also have had a key role in policy-­‐making for broadband Internet expansion into rural areas. 4
Dorothy "Dot" Heddon, interview by author, digital recording of telephone conversation, 14 March 2012. First-­‐
hand account of electricity coming on at her farm home in Lancaster, Ohio. See Appendix I. 5
Norma Jean Wasmuth, interview by author, digital recording of oral interview, 15 March 2012. First-­‐hand account of electricity coming on at her home in Wheeling, West Virginia. See Appendix I. 2 The REA brought the conveniences of lighting and appliances to areas of our country that had never experienced them, revolutionized farmers’ ways of work, and profoundly enhanced their quality of life. Since different groups of people reacted to the REA, I wanted to convey their experiences in a unique manner. I decided to write a series of diary entries to tell the story of how the REA had revolutionary social and economic impacts on the everyday lives of farmers, specifically their family lives at home. In this effort, I first created an outline developing each character. I then created my five characters’ diary entries, sprinkling in footnotes and appendix references to substantiate the historical research that my interpretations are based on. Upon completing my first polished draft, I framed the entries with an introduction and conclusion. My purpose was to provide a transition between academic writing and my characters’ diary entries, and to reiterate the significance of these entries for my thesis. I re-­‐read and revised my writing repeatedly to authentically convey the various perspectives of my historically-­‐based characters. INTRODUCTION: AMERICAN VOICES The relatively primitive lifestyles that farmers led before the Rural Electrification Administration and Act were completely revolutionized when the lights came on. Before electricity, farmers had no running water, chores were completed manually, and there was inconsistent lighting. With electricity, farmers reacted by acquiring lights and appliances. They could extend their work hours, reduce physical strain, invest in their farms, increase productivity, and make additional money. That one wire leading to a farm reformed nearly every aspect of the family’s life; it was a pivotal time. Will Lawrence, Alabama farmer in his twenties, February 12, 1935: Life before REA. My aches. My head pounds. Harvesting is backbreaking work. 3 It’s sundown. Time for relaxin’, but the radio’s broken-­‐down. Nothin’ like a dead battery. Ain’t no use taking it to town for chargin’. Too heavy. Life is still like Grandpa’s time. Gotta use kerosene lanterns or candles to check the livestock. Once, Grandpa spooked a horse with a flickerin’ light. Cheap electricity ain’t heard of ‘round here. Someone big, one of those – important people should be fixin’ that. Today I headed to town for gas after pluckin’ chickens. Like Grandma, my Betty is a slave to the wood-­‐range and washboard.6 They were fixin’ the chickens right after supper. Ole’ stove was makin’ a racket. They listened to that noise after pumpin’ water outside.7 I s’pose pumpin’ water all day long beats hearin’ the gas metal monster. Grandpa’s snoring. I worry ‘bout him. He gets up early. When the sun’s down, our day is done. No good lights, nothin’ to do. Grandpa always says to bed at dusk, to barn at dawn. And that’s how the spurs click! President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, March 22nd, 1935: Analyzing the REA. I’ve been refining the New Deal8 for two years; making a difference in many lives, but there’s still suffering. Farmers have, sadly, been low priority. They provide us food, yet endure harsh living conditions. Ten percent of farmers have electricity.9 It’s the age of “…electricity; the telegraph and the 6
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, “History of Electric Co-­‐ops” <http://www.nreca.coop/members/History/Pages/default.aspx> 2005-­‐2011: 1 7
See Appendix II. 8
President Roosevelt created numerous programs known as the New Deal. It expanded the federal government affecting peoples’ lives to bring about economic recovery and reform during the depressed economy; Gary Nash, “The Impact of the New Deal”, American Odyssey (Glencoe/McGraw-­‐Hill, 1991): 382, 870. 9
Harold V. Hunter, “A Brief History of the Rural Electrification and Telephone Programs” (Rural Electrification Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, 19 April 1982): 9. 4 radio; mass production, mass distribution—all of these combined to bring forward a new civilization.”10 Something must be done. Cooke and I have an idea. We need to grant farmers loans for electricity. The government can fund the program with one hundred million dollars. Electricity for only one dollar a month, or three cents a day!11 I must convince Congress of my ideas. Congressman against REA, March 3rd, 1936: Go away REA! What a long day. Being a Congressman isn’t easy. A coal lobbyist spoke in the chambers and I liked what he said. The coal industry objects most seriously to “…the Federal Government spending the taxpayers’ money for the erection of power plants...” They are unnecessary. Government-­‐built plants will “take the place of privately owned power plants now supplying that community.”12 It’s not proper for the government to intervene with private utility companies, taking away their business. What financial incentives are there for the government to loan people watts of electricity? America is in a depression. We won’t get much interest back, so we’re almost making free loans.13 There is no money to waste! Farmers say they would already have electricity from the private utility companies if it was sufficiently priced, but the companies haven’t done anything wrong. Private utility companies need to make electricity more widely available or the government will intervene. It’s not fair for the government to compete against them. The private companies work hard enough to supply the farmers’ electricity. The farmers should learn to pay up for their own electricity. 10
th
Statement made later at Democratic National Convention speech, June 27 , 1936. Morris L. Cooke, "National Plan for the Advancement of Rural Electrification under Federal Leadership and Control with State and Local Cooperation and as a Wholly Public Enterprise" (February, 1934): 6. 12
Statement of John D. Battle, Executive Secretary of the National Coal Association [excerpts], in Hearings before the Committee on Military Affairs, House of Representatives (74th Cong., 1st Sess., 1935). 13
Malone, Interview. 11
5 Harry Adams, employee Private Utility Company, April 14, 1936: REA reforming business. Business is slow. No new customers lately, it seems like they’ve heard the hullabaloo in Congress. They won’t buy electricity from us until they know government won’t provide it cheaper. I can’t imagine electricity cheaper than ours. What do they expect? President Roosevelt, May 20, 1936: Farmers win! It passed! The Rural Electrification Act permits the Rural Electrification Administration to grant cooperatives low interest loans to generate electricity. Cooke’s the leader. Private companies could charge anything they pleased because there was little competition. The government’s price for electricity will help set a standard. Now, farmers’ everyday lives will be different. It’s amazing how one kilowatt hour can reform a farm.14 Farmers work extremely hard. Providing electricity is a small gesture of appreciation. “Electricity is a modern necessity of life and ought to be in every village, every home, and every farm in the United States.”15 Rose Dudley Scearce, member Rural Electric Cooperative, Shelby, Kentucky, August 2, 1937: Lives have been reformed, and here’s the reaction. All I’ve been hearin’ about is the REA. The electrical wires went up and the poles went down.16 As the saying goes, the lights have come on. We’re so lucky. My son reacted by sayin’, “Mother, I didn’t 14
See Appendix III. John M. Carmody, “Rural Electrification in the United States,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 201 (January 1939): 1. 16
Heddon, interview. 15
6 realize how dark our house was until we got electric lights.”17 I hope all people are reading by an electric lamp. An electric lamp is easier on your eyes and is as cheap as a kerosene one. I read that the radio was the most popular appliance purchased when farm folk got electricity. So, we replaced our storage-­‐battery radio with an electric one. We bought an electric refrigerator. The whole family got together to fix up some homemade ice cream. That electric washin’ machine is a life saver. The hand machine was alright, but I was washin’ all day. We even saved up for an iron. A vacuum cleaner was the last appliance that I wished for. Most folks are neat. When it rains, they’ll wear shoes outside and leave the muddy shoes at the door. We don’t. We just wear ‘em out ‘n wipe the mud on the floor when we come in. Life’s more fun that way! I adore the things that electricity made possible, especially my appliances.18 Life’s better since I have more time for just relaxin’. Harry Adams, October 6, 1937: Go on REA! Business hasn’t been hurt that much. Our reaction to the REA is actually a positive one! We get most of our money from the most densely populated and urban areas that we service. They still pay good money for our electricity. The REA isn’t so bad. We’re still up and running and the government’s happy. Who could ask for more? 17
This quote and the theme of this diary entry were inspired by Rose Dudley Scearce’s essay. “What the REA Service Meant to Our Farm Home.” Rose Dudley Scearce, Member, Shelby (Ky.) Rural Electric Cooperative. 18
See Appendix IV. 7 Will Lawrence, June 11, 1938: Read All About REA! Y’all heard yet? The lights came on... We went from water pumps to water pipes.19 The newspaper tells it all. Electricity Comes to the Farms BIRMINGHAM NEWS June 11, 1938 By: Tim Jones This past week many rural families reacted to the first time the lights came on in their homes. Before the Rural Electrification Administration, ninety percent of the farms in America were without electrical service. Farmers had been living primitively for generations, similar to the first American settlers. Now, their lives have been reformed to experience the same daily conveniences as their urban neighbors. Electricity is being provided by the Eastern Alabama Electric Cooperation at the price of one dollar per month. The EAEC wasn’t the original source of this revolutionary electrical service concept. President Roosevelt and his colleague, Morris Cooke, developed the brilliant idea. With extensive opposition, the electrical service program, commonly known as the Rural Electrification Act, was presented to Congress and approved. The Rural Electrification Administration, an independent federal bureau, assisted in administering electrical service to farms. Loans to farm cooperatives are currently offered. Advertisements for the REA are posted everywhere. 19
Wasmuth, interview 8 Electricity reforms a farm home; appliances diminish physical activity, save time, and allow farm families to be more productive. Purchasing innovative appliances isn’t the only benefit of the REA. In fact, there are many others. Farmers can now be productive when it’s dark outside, extending their work hours. With the added hours and new equipment and appliances, higher quality meat and produce can be cultivated in larger quantities and easily stored. A farmer that grows grain can spend more time in the fields tending to the grain, and grow more of it. Then, flour, oats, and rice can be made and sold to make more money. This additional income can be reinvested back into the business by buying new appliances and more land for farming. It’s all a chain reaction, thanks to the REA. Providing electricity is now part of Roosevelt’s New Deal. What could be next? RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ACT AND ADMINISTRATION INFLUENCES The Rural Electrification Act “is considered one of the most immediate and profound successes in the history of federal policy-­‐making for the national economy.”20 The REA created many benefits other than those affecting farmers. “It was a cause of new demands for consumers.”21 Specifically, manufactured appliances and consumer electronics developed. The REA helped electrical and plumbing jobs flourish, and suburbs grow. It eventually expanded communication from letters to radio to television. By 1953, ninety percent of American farms had electrical service, as compared to ten percent in 1936.22 20
Dr. Laurence J. Malone, “Rural Electrification Administration,” (EH.Net Encyclopedia, 16 March 2008): 2. Malone, interview. 22
Hunter, 9; see Appendix V. 21
9 Today, rural areas are still disadvantaged. Farmers and school children deserve the conveniences of broadband Internet service; another revolutionary concept they would have never imagined. Internet service would revolutionize the rural farming community once more by providing access to information and communication. President Obama emulated President Roosevelt’s actions by creating the National Wireless Initiative; a plan designed to expand wireless Internet service to rural areas.23 The American Jobs Act of 2011 submitted to Congress includes this initiative.24 The similarities of the REA and the National Wireless Initiative are no coincidence. CONCLUSION In 1935, President Roosevelt intervened to help pull America out of the depths of the Great Depression and assist those who were suffering. He introduced the Rural Electrification Act and Administration to help revolutionize the lives of rural Americans. Reasonably priced electrical services socially and economically reformed the everyday lives of farmers. They had reliable lights in their homes for the first time. Various electrical appliances became widely used; thus, enhancing farmers quality of life. Consider how primitive life was for farmers before the REA. All of the appliances and electrical luxuries American citizens take for granted today were considered a miracle for rural citizens in the 1930s. Farmers could extend their work hours, make more money, reduce physical strain, invest in their farms, and increase productivity. A single wire extended to a farm drastically reformed nearly every aspect of family life. It all started the day their lights came on… “Walk through your home, and look at all of the objects powered by electricity that farmers did without until they were provided electricity by 23
Obama, speech. On December 1, 2011, a subcommittee of Congress approved the Act. United States, House Energy & Commerce Committee, “Communications and Technology Committee Approves JOBS Act with Bipartisan Support,” (Washington, 2011) <http://energycommerce.house.gov/news/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=9127> 1 December 2011. 24
10 the REA.”25 Consider the transformation of the farmers’ everyday lives when these electrical appliances became available. A world of possibilities… All at the flip of a switch. 25
Malone, interview. 11 Appendix I
Excerpts of Interview with Dorothy “Dot” Heddon, born in Lancaster, Ohio in 1919: “Up until we got electricity, chores would be to bring water in (everything had to be put on the stove to be made hot), to go get wood for the cooking, and since there was not an outside bathroom, we had to keep it up to date. To read, we had kerosene lanterns. It was yellow-­‐like and not very bright. It was very hard to read. Hot water was the most important. We had a wood-­‐burning stove that we cooked on and heated water on. That all changed with our hot water tank. My mother could wash and we could bathe and cook more easily with hot water. We purchased a refrigerator with a motor on top. It was all so sudden – everything was new. The electricity, the bathroom, and the entire house. It was so perfect. With the big stock market crash, we lost it all, the home and the business.Electricity raised the standard of living. I could read easier and longer with electricity. We had a radio and each week there were new radio programs that we would look forward to listening to. The city people had electricity all before the country folk. I remember the wires going up and the poles going down. They were very hard times – anything cheaper was really appreciated. A lot of people had lost everything they had. If electricity cost less, it would make everything better. It improved life greatly, and was one of the best things that ever happened to our country. Can you imagine life without electricity? You’ve never had to live without electricity. But back then, you didn’t know what electricity was like until you actually had it. The way you lived prior to electricity was good enough too, at the time. It improved quality of life, living, your mind and everything else.” Excerpts of Interview with Norma Wasmuth, born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1924: “The main draws to electricity were that it was generally cheaper than gas. It was cleaner than gas, and it was the most modern energy source. Electricity made life a lot easier in a variety of ways, including fetching water. With electricity, street lights were installed. The streets were brighter, so the children were allowed to play outside later. Additionally, the streets were safer during nighttime. Electricity also grew to a necessity to the West Virginia economy. There were many electric plants and factories, including Sylvania electric which produced factory-­‐fluorescent tubes. Electricity gave West Virginia an economic boost. In addition, most citizens worked for an electric company.” 12 Appendix II
Daughter of sharecropper pumping water, New Madrid County, Missouri
13 Appendix III
Source: Tva.Rea.Info. Google <https://sites.google.com////electricity-administration>.
14 Appendix IV
Portrait of America. No. 36. Rural electrification in the U.S. The electric range or stove
in this American farm kitchen eliminates the need of building fires, carrying fuel and
emptying ashes, thus allowing the housewife at least ten more hours per month for other
tasks. Food for farm workers is cooked faster and better on an electric range, improving
the health and efficiency of the family. If the range has an automatic timer, food can be
placed in the oven long before it needs to start cooking; at the proper minute the heat
will turn itself on and the cooking proceed at the proper length of time, then turn itself
off again, all without attention.
15 Appendix V
Prepared by the Rural Electrification Administration (1982).
16