Some came into being by law, some by executive order; some are well known, some are not; some changed names or were amended in mid-course; some lasted only a few years, some still exist. It can be confusing, and we hope that this list can help sort things out. The list of programs is as complete as you will find anywhere. Show
For each New Deal program, there is a summary of the law, agency, goals and achievements, as well as key actors and legacies. These are based heavily on primary sources (which are cited) and are as accurate as possible. —Click on a program name and a pop-up text will appear. Economic Stimulus & StabilizationReconstruction Finance Corporation (1932)Created during the Hoover Administration, expanded by FDR. Helped finance public works, industry, and national defense activities. National Industrial Recovery Act (1933)Created National Recovery Administration (NRA). Legalized industry collaboration for price controls and collective bargaining for labor. Agricultural Adjustment Act (1933, Reauthorized 1938)Created Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). Introduced measures to reduce crop supply, stabilize prices and support farm incomes. Electric Home and Farm Authority (1934) Income and Wealth Taxes (1934-1941) Federal Credit Unions (1934) U.S. Travel Bureau (1937) Bank Stabilization & Financial ReformEmergency Banking Relief Act (1933) Glass-Steagall Banking Act (1933)Created Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to insure personal bank accounts Separated commercial from investment banking – The ‘Firewall.’ Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (1933) Federal Credit Unions (1934) Securities Act (1933) & Securities Exchange Act (1934)Created Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Allowed federal regulation of stock trading in public corporations. Gold Reserve Act (1934) Bankruptcy Reform (1934-1938) Banking Act (1935) Public Utility Holding Company Act (1935) Relief & WelfareFederal Emergency Relief Act (1933) Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation (FSCC) (1933) – named Federal Surplus Relief Corporation (1933-1935), then Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation (1935-1940) Railroad Retirement Board (1934) Emergency Relief Appropriation Acts (1935-1943) Social Security Act (1935) Public Works – New ProgramsCivilian Conservation Corps (CCC) (1933)Created under Emergency Conservation Act. Put unemployed, unskilled young men to work on rural and park improvements. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (1933)Created under the Tennessee Valley Authority Act. Planned river basin development based on dams and hydroelectricity. Public Works Administration (PWA) (1933)Created under the National Industrial Recovery Act. Paid private contractors to build large-scale projects proposed by states. Civil Works Administration (CWA) (1933)Created by Executive Order as temporary work relief under FERA. Hired unemployed directly to work on local projects; became model for WPA. Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) (1933) Works Progress Administration (WPA) (1935) – renamed Work Projects Administration (1939)Created by Executive Order to fund state and local public works projects. Hired the unemployed directly and became the largest of all public works programs. National Youth Administration (NYA) (1935)Created by Executive Order as a subdivision of the WPA. Hired young men and women, both in and out of school, for works programs. Rural Electrification Administration (REA) (1935)Created by Executive Order to bring electricity to isolated rural areas. Made permanent by Rural Electrification Act (1936). Soil Conservation Service (SCS) (1935) Public Works – Expansion of Existing ProgramsBureau of Public Roads (BPR) (1918) – renamed Public Roads Administration (1939) U.S. Post Office Department (1792) Bureau of Reclamation (1902) Army Corps of Engineers (1802) Quartermaster Corps (1775) U.S. Armed Forces and National Defense Industries Arts & Culture ProgramsPublic Works of Art Project (PWAP) (1933) Art & Culture Projects of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) (1934) Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA) (1934)– originally called Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture (TSPS) from 1934 to 1938, then Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA) from 1938 to 1939, and then finally just Section of Fine Arts (SFA, located in the newly-created Public Buildings Administration, from 1939 to 1943 . Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) (1935) Indian Arts and Crafts Board (1935) Federal Project Number One (Federal One) (1935)Created by the WPA to employ artists, writers, historians and other professionals The largest of the arts programs, with five divisions: —Federal Art Project (FAP) (1935) A reorganization in 1939 changed the names of the first three to WPA Arts Program, WPA Music Program and WPA Writers’ Program, eliminated the Theater project, and made the HRS part of the WPA’s Research and Records Program. Federal Dance Project (1936) National Youth Administration Dance Group (1936) Historic PreservationNational Archives and Records Administration (1934) Historic Sites Act (1935) Historical Records Survey (HRS) (1935) Public Works Programs ReorganizationU.S. Treasury, Public Buildings Branch (PBB) (1933) – called Public Works Branch from 1933-1935, then Public Buildings Branch from 1935-1939Part of new Procurement Division created to consolidate federal building activities.Managed the construction and repair of most federal buildings. Managed Treasury Section of Painting & Sculpture and Treasury Relief Art Project. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) (1937)Created by Bonneville Power Act. Managed electric power grid and sales from the Columbia River project. Public Buildings Administration (PBA) (1939) Federal Works Agency (FWA) (1939)Created under the Reorganization Act of 1939 as an umbrella agency to administer existing public works programs, including the PWA, WPA, USHA, PRA (BPR), and PBA. Federal Security Agency (FSA) (1939) Rural & Farm AssistanceAgricultural Adjustment Act (1933, Reauthorized 1938) Farm Credit Act (1933)Created Farm Credit Administration (FCA). Oversight of all farm credit programs & refinancing of farm mortgages. Electric Home and Farm Authority (1934) Bankruptcy Reform (1934-1938) Virgin Islands Company (1934) Shelterbelt Project (1934) Resettlement Administration (RA) (1935)Evolved from earlier emergency relief legislation. Created planned communities for Americans whose livelihoods had been upturned by the Depression; rehabilitated overused land; made loans to farmers. Soil Conservation Act (1935) Rural Electrification Act (1936) Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (1937) Housing Aid & Mortgage ReformHome Owners’ Loan Act (1933)Created Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC). Provided financial assistance to home owners and the mortgage industry. Alley Dwelling Authority (1934) National Housing Act (1934)Created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to guarantee mortgages with banks Created the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corporation to act like Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (see above) for Savings and Loan institutions. United States Housing Act (1937) Labor LawNational Industrial Recovery Act (1933) Wagner-Peyser Act / U.S. Employment Service (1933) Railroad Retirement Board (1934) National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) (1935) Social Security Act (1935) Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) Health & Public SafetyNational Cancer Institute Act (1937) Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938) Land & Wildlife ConservationCivilian Conservation Corps (CCC) (1933)Created under Emergency Conservation Act. Put unemployed, unskilled young men to work on rural and park improvements. Federal Parks Reorganization (1933) Shelterbelt Project (1934) Fish & Wildlife Conservation Acts (1934) Soil Conservation Act (1935) Taylor Grazing Act (1935) Regulation of Trade, Transport, & CommunicationsRepeal of Prohibition (1933) Export-Import Bank (1934) Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act (1934) Communications Act (1934) Robinson-Patman Act (1936) Civil Aeronautics Act (1938) Indian Lands & US TerritoriesIndian Reorganization Act (1934) Virgin Islands Company (1934) Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) (1935) Indians in Oklahoma and Native Alaskans (1936) Civil & Criminal JusticeCivil Rights Section, Department of Justice (1939) Education & Civic EngagementFederal Forum Project (1936) United States Film Service (1938) These summaries are the work of Brent McKee, with assistance from Richard A Walker. If you spot an error or omission, please write us at i[email protected] |