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Name _______________________________________ Class ____________ Date ____________
The New Deal
25
GEOGRAPHY ACTIVITY
The Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration (PWA) was
a New Deal agency created in 1933 to help
fund major construction projects. Its goal, in
part, was to reduce unemployment and promote economic recovery. The PWA provided
federal funds (often matched by state and
local contributions) for public works such as
dams, schools, bridges, and water treatment
plants. The map below shows the number and
variety of PWA projects underway in 1938.
Examine the map, and answer the questions
that follow.
PWA Projects, 1938
NH
VT 38
34
WA
73
MT
45
D
OR
141
NV
11
S
SD
43
WY
22
UT
61
RR
D
WI
223
S
IL
231
F
KS
128
TX
300
F
F
MS
77
F
LA
134
S
WV
50 VA
134
NC
155
TN
93
AL
143
PA
301
OH
511
KY
127
AR
60
OK
91
IN
207
MA
137
B
F
MO
258
NM
27
RR
NY
235
MI
257
IA
228
D
CO
85
T
AZ
55
MN
294
NE
94
I
I
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
ME
50
D
ID
67
D
CA
292
ND
72
HW
GA
266
RI
CT 24
49 NJ
113
DE
12
MD
49
D.C.
9
SC
75
F
FL
80
F
B
Total number of projects in 1938: 6,333
Total funding: $1,478,000,000
LEGEND:
low-cost housing
museums
courthouses
I
irrigation
schools
F
flood control
hospitals
D
dams
Geography Activities
S
sewers
highways
power plants
T
tunnels
shipbuilding
B
bridges
forestry
railroad beds
dredging
HW
RR
Chapter 25 49
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Chapter 25, Geography Activity, Continued
1. How many PWA projects were underway nationwide in 1938?
2. How many projects were underway in the District of Columbia in 1938?
3. Which state had the most projects underway in 1938? Which state had the fewest?
4. How did California compare with New York in number of projects? What kind of
projects were undertaken in California?
5. What kind of projects are noted for Georgia and Indiana?
7. Critical Thinking: Environment and Society Look at the kinds of PWA projects
listed on the map. How might these projects have affected people directly? How
might these projects have stimulated a local economy?
ACTIVITY
If the PWA existed today, what useful jobs could it do in your state or community? Describe a project that a modern PWA might undertake. Explain why such
a project should be chosen, and explain the good it would do in your state or
community.
50 Chapter 25
Geography Activities
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
6. In what states did the PWA help build schools?
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C H A P TE R 2 3
GEOGRAPHY WORKSHEET 23
1. California, Texas, Illinois, Kentucky,
Pennsylvania, New York; Texas, Illinois,
Kentucky, Pennsylvania
2. Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, North
Dakota, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, Delaware, Maine; Nevada,
Wyoming, North Dakota, Connecticut,
Maine (Vermont did not report)
3. Nevada, Montana, Wisconsin, Maryland,
New York, Massachusetts; New York,
Maryland
4. Georgia, Florida; over 25,000 each;
Vermont
5. the East; the East
6. Critical Thinking: Places and Regions
Answers will vary; however, many students will say that prohibition was counterproductive because of the number of
alcohol-related crimes and the growth of
gangs that resulted. But some students
may argue that the violations reinforced
the need for tough laws.
ACTIVITY
Answers will vary depending on the event
chosen by students. Students should identify
key issues for both sides, labor and management. Their responses should be to the issues
at hand.
CHAPT E R 2 5
GEOGRAPHY WORKSHEET 25
ACTIVITY
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
4. Tennessee, less than 20%; Missouri,
20–39%; Montana, 20–39%
5. Critical Thinking: Human Systems The
protests and strikes involved miners,
industrial workers, sharecroppers, and
independent farmers, as well as general
strikes that cut across occupational lines
and included the unemployed. The widespread nature of the strikes and protests
reflect the frustration of the times and the
fact that the Great Depression affected all
workers. Students might also point out
that strikers were demanding jobs as well
as higher wages and that farmers tried to
raise crop prices by limiting food supplies.
Answers will vary depending on the information that the students gather. Be sure that students have identified and located important
sites. If no local newspapers are available,
have students select a location from the
Geography Activity map and search secondary sources for information. Then have each
student create a map of the state or community he or she chose, based on what he or she
learned.
C H A P TE R 2 4
GEOGRAPHY WORKSHEET 24
1. the Harlan County miners’ strike of 1931;
farmers’ strikes in Minnesota and Iowa
(1932), Alabama sharecroppers’ protests
(1931), Southern Tenant Farmers Union
marches in Arkansas (1935–36), and
farm-worker protests in California (1934)
2. Camden, New Jersey; GM strikes in 1936
3. Washington and West Virginia
Geography Activities
6,333 projects
9 projects
Ohio (511); Nevada (11)
California had more projects than New
York. California’s public works included
schools and irrigation projects.
5. low-cost housing
6. California, Utah, South Dakota, Texas,
Iowa
7. Critical Thinking: Environment and
Society Answers will vary. Some students
may feel that the projects most likely to
affect people directly included water management, health and sanitation, transportation, power plant, school, hospital,
and low-cost housing projects. All these
projects would provide jobs and increase
demands for goods and services.
1.
2.
3.
4.
ACTIVITY
Answers will vary depending on the projects
chosen by students. Students should clearly
define the need(s) and the benefits of the
project.
Answer Key 81