The Federal Theatre Project: FDR's WPA on Stage

FDR's National Youth Administration: The New Deal for Young America

In this episode of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Explained, Lucas and Luna explore the National Youth Administration (NYA), a lesser-known but transformative New Deal agency that provided work, education, and hope to millions of young Americans during the Great Depression. They discuss how the NYA was created by executive order in 1935 under the leadership of Aubrey Williams, a close ally of Harry Hopkins, and how it differed from other relief programs by focusing on youth aged 16 to 25. Lucas explains the two main branches: the Student Aid Program, which kept high school and college students enrolled by paying them for part-time work, and the Out-of-School Work Program, which employed young people in conservation, construction, and community projects. The conversation highlights the NYA's role in supporting future leaders like civil rights activist John Lewis and writer Maya Angelou, and its controversial involvement in training youth for defense work before World War II. Luna asks about the NYA's relationship with the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Lucas clarifies their distinct missions. They also touch on the NYA's progressive policies on race and gender, including its requirement of equal pay for African American and female participants—a rarity at the time. The episode ends with a reflection on how the NYA shaped the postwar generation and the GI Bill. #NYA #NationalYouthAdministration #AubreyWilliams #HarryHopkins #NewDeal #FDR #GreatDepression #StudentAidProgram #JohnLewis #MayaAngelou #CivilRights #YouthEmployment #WorkRelief #1930s #AmericanHistory #FDRHistoryPodcast #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's Fight for the Fair Labor Standards Act

In 1938, after years of political battles and Supreme Court setbacks, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act—a landmark law that established a national minimum wage, a 40-hour workweek, and banned child labor. This episode dives into the fierce opposition from Southern politicians, the role of Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, and the law's exemptions that excluded agricultural and domestic workers, disproportionately affecting Black Americans. We explore the Supreme Court case United States v. Darby Lumber Company that upheld the act, and the long-term impact on American labor, including the fight over the tip credit and the stalled efforts to raise the minimum wage today. A revealing look at how a New Deal victory also embedded racial and economic inequalities into the fabric of U.S. labor law. #FairLaborStandardsAct #FDR #FrancesPerkins #minimumwage #childlabor #NewDeal #HugoBlack #UnitedStatesvDarby #Southernbloc #tipcredit #FLSA #40hourworkweek #history #FexingoHistory #NorthAmerica #GreatDepression #labormovement #WagnerAct Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's National Labor Relations Act and the Rise of the CIO

In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act, which guaranteed workers the right to organize and bargain collectively. This episode explores the fierce battles that followed, from the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) under John L. Lewis to the sit-down strikes that paralyzed General Motors in 1937. We look at the role of Senator Robert F. Wagner, the opposition from business leaders and the Supreme Court, and the legacy of the Act in reshaping American labor. Along the way, we touch on the Little Steel Strike, the Memorial Day Massacre, and the rise of unions like the United Auto Workers. This was a transformative moment that pitted industrial workers against corporate giants, and it changed the balance of power in America forever. #NationalLaborRelationsAct #WagnerAct #JohnLLewis #CIO #CongressOfIndustrialOrganizations #SitDownStrike #GeneralMotors #UnitedAutoWorkers #RobertFWagner #LittleSteelStrike #MemorialDayMassacre #FrancesPerkins #NewDeal #LaborHistory #FDR #AmericanHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's WPA and the Fight for Unemployment Relief

In this episode of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Explained, hosts Lucas and Luna delve into the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the New Deal's largest jobs program. They explore how Harry Hopkins, FDR's close advisor, ran the agency from 1935 to 1943, putting millions of Americans to work on public projects. The conversation covers the political battles over relief versus work, the construction of iconic infrastructure like LaGuardia Airport and the Lincoln Tunnel, and the controversial 'leaf-raking' charges from Republicans. Lucas explains the WPA's rapid hiring process, its impact on unemployment, and the agency's eventual end as World War II mobilized the economy. This episode specifically focuses on the WPA's general relief efforts, not its arts projects or other specialized programs already covered. #WPA #WorksProgressAdministration #HarryHopkins #NewDeal #FDR #GreatDepression #UnemploymentRelief #LaGuardiaAirport #LincolnTunnel #PublicWorks #EmergencyReliefAppropriationAct #AlfLandon #RobertFechner #TheNightTheyInventedChampagne #History #FexingoHistory #1930s #NorthAmerica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's National Housing Act and the Fight Against Slums

In 1937, the Wagner-Steagall Act created the United States Housing Authority, launching the nation's first large-scale public housing program. Listen as Lucas and Luna explore how New Dealers like Senator Robert Wagner, Representative Henry Steagall, and USHA head Nathan Straus battled real estate interests, overcome legal challenges, and built projects like the Jane Addams Houses in Chicago and the Williamsburg Houses in Brooklyn. Learn about the tensions between slum clearance and new construction, the role of local housing authorities, and how the program housed low-income families while reshaping American cities. This episode dives into a key but often overlooked piece of FDR's domestic agenda, connecting it to broader debates about government's role in providing decent housing for all citizens. #NewDeal #PublicHousing #WagnerSteagallAct #USHousingAuthority #NathanStraus #RobertWagner #HenrySteagall #SlumClearance #GreatDepression #FDR #HousingReform #JaneAddamsHouses #WilliamsburgHouses #CatherineBauer #HollenbeckHomes #USHA #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]