This is really long, so I recommend doing this if you have a lot of free time.

Putting Americans Back to Work

The stock market crash in October 1929 caused a worldwide economic depression that lasted a decade and affected almost every nation in the world. At the height of the downturn, nearly 20% of Americans were out of work. To combat unemployment, the government led by President Franklin D. Roosevelt began in 1935 a program called the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It oversaw the construction of public roads, dams, bridges, and buildings. The jobs created by these projects put millions of Americans back to work. But some people had talents that were not suited to building things. To help them, the government expanded the WPA to include federal works projects dedicated to preserving American culture and the arts. The result was the Federal Arts Project, the Federal Theater Project, the Federal Music Project, and the Federal Writers’ Project. Each of these programs put talented artists, musicians, actors, and writers to work again.
Under the Federal Arts Project, American artists received unexpectedly large canvases on which to paint their works—the walls of public buildings, including the lobbies of courthouses, post offices, bridges, dams, and customs houses. The program was the brainchild of George Biddle, an artist, and friend of President Roosevelt. While in Mexico, he had seen the spectacularly colorful and powerful murals by artists such as Diego Rivera. These huge wall paintings depicted the people of Mexico and celebrated their cultures and traditions. The paintings’ purpose was to inspire people to feel pride and also provide some beauty in their daily lives. Biddle thought that American artists could do something similar in the United States. Beginning in 1933, artists began submitting sketches to government-sponsored contests. Winning drawings were then transformed by teams of artists into glorious murals on the walls of federal buildings in their communities. The artwork reflected the local people and their work and values. Many depicted farmers. Others depicted industrial or urban scenes. Many of these paintings still exist today.
The Federal Theater Project helped put nearly 10,000 writers, actors, and theater technicians to work between 1935 and 1939. Like the Federal Arts Project, this program was intended to help keep actors and playwrights employed during tough economic times. The director of the Federal Theater Project was Hallie Flanagan, a teacher, and a playwright. Under her guidance, writers and actors staged nearly 1,000 original plays that were performed in 40 states. Most were presented at no cost to the public. The performances included new interpretations of classic dramas as well as original productions of dramas, comedies, and musicals. There were also shows aimed for children. Many struggling playwrights got their start by working for the Federal Theater Project. After the end of the Great Depression, several went on to achieve fame on Broadway and Hollywood.
The Federal Music Project only lasted four years, but it had a tremendous impact on American music. Like the Federal Arts Project and the Federal Theater Project, it was created to provide employment for out-of-work musicians, including composers, singers, teachers, and instrumentalists. Many were formed into orchestras and bands that performed around the country. Others conducted classes to teach Americans how to sing.
Perhaps the most important result of the federal projects was the fieldwork done by writers assigned to the Folklore Section of the Federal Writers’ Project. These writers were dispatched across the United States with heavy recording equipment to document the stories, anecdotes, verses, and songs of ordinary Americans. The result was a goldmine of uniquely American material, including oral histories describing life during the days of slavery and traditional folk songs and lore from isolated communities. Without the Federal Writers’ Project, precious bits of American culture and lore might have been lost. Today, anyone can explore the fieldworkers’ findings by visiting the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, where they will be preserved forever.
Although the federal works projects only lasted for a short time—about five years—they had a tremendous impact on the nation, and not only in terms of its economy. The production of artwork, songs, and plays and the preservation of unique lore allowed Americans to remember and appreciate their diverse culture. Most Americans may have felt down and out during the Great Depression, but thanks in part to the federal works projects, they discovered they had then and would always have tremendous creative wealth.

Constructed Response Prompt:
Directions: Describe the structure the author uses to organize the text and how it contributes to the development of ideas in the passage. Use details from the passage to support your answer. (RACECES).