“For the Softies” editorial from the Greenfield Recorder-Gazette newspaper reprinted from The Holyoke Transcript

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

The New Deal’s (1933-1939) work relief programs during the Great Depression (1929-1939) were not without their critics. They were frequently attacked as useless “made work,” leaf-raking,” or “boondoggles.” They were also criticized as political, providing jobs for those who supported the New Deal and the Democratic Party. Here, the Holyoke Transcript recounts the story of a local farmer who tried to find a “hired hand” among the city’s unemployed. Although he offered $30 per month with room and board, no one wanted the job. The Transcript blamed the New Deal’s work relief program, the WPA, for providing “soft jobs” (easy work) at higher pay. Such programs, it was claimed, led to “the deterioration of the fibre of American Manhood.”

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Details

Item typeArticle
PublisherGreenfield Recorder-Gazette
Date1936-05-15
PlaceHolyoke, Massachusetts
TopicCommerce, Business, Trade, Consumerism
Politics, Government, Law, Civics
EraGreat Depression and World War II, 1929–1945
EventGreat Depression. 1929–1940
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 4.50 in Width: 2.50 in
Catalog #L08.027
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Greenfield Recorder-Gazette. “For the Softies.” May 15, 1936. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l08-027/. Accessed on November 13, 2024.

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