Exhibit looks at New Deal

Transcript Staff

July 04, 2009 01:14 am

— A new exhibit at the Carl Albert Center will look at effects of the New Deal in Oklahoma during the Great Depression.
After the crash of the stock market on Oct. 29, 1929, Americans found themselves in the worst economic times in United States history. Winning the 1932 presidential election by a landslide, Franklin D. Roosevelt quickly addressed the Great Depression by beginning his New Deal programs in the first 100 days.
"Putting Oklahoma Back to Work" narrates the hard times Oklahomans faced throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s. FDR's programs such as the Farm Security Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration employed thousands of Oklahomans throughout the Great Depression and also provided relief, education and loans as well as work codes to help regulate long hours and wages.
By the end of the Great Depression, FDR's New Deal enabled Oklahomans to pull themselves out of the depression, but the impact of the economic crisis would still be felt for years to come.
To learn more about Oklahoma and the New Deal, visit Monnet Hall on the University of Oklahoma campus, home of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center. The exhibit, "Putting Oklahoma Back to Work," will be displayed on the second floor until September.
This and other exhibits are featured on both the first and second floors of Monnet Hall at 630 Parrington Oval. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.