Works Progress Administration - Writers Project Series

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a federal agency created in 1935 to alleviate the problem of unemployment during the 1930’s.  One of its branches was the Federal Writer’s Project (FWP), directed by Henry G. Alsberg.  The FWP was intended to provide relief for writers and editors.  It also provided work for white-collar workers, such as lawyers, teachers, and librarians, who did not fit into the other WPA programs.

The main project of the FWP was to publish state tour guides that would make up The American Guide Series.  Along with the American Guide Series, the FWP also published histories of states, and cultural studies of various ethnic groups in the United States. 

The materials in box 34 are a small part of the Works Progress Administration Collection, Writers Project Series.