Civil Works Administration (CWA)

View West, Detail Mural, Children's Room, Rip Van Winkle Mural, Project of the CWA (Civil Works Administration). Completed May 1934. - Ives Memorial Library, 133 Elm Street, New Haven, New Haven County, CT.

Even with the establishment of the Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA), there were still more problems that needed solutions, and quickly! High unemployment remained and there continued to be worries about the public’s welfare. The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was started as a subdivision of FERA with the goal of providing a short-term solution to get people back to work. The projects under CWA were more short term and aimed at unskilled laborers. A large amount of men and women were put to work in the winter of 1933 and 1934 as a result of this initiative. For example, roads were improved, bridges were constructed, airports were upgraded, and pipelines were repaired.   

“Civil Works Administration Photographs,” University of Washington Digital Collections. http://content.lib.washington.edu/civilworksweb/