American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940

American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940

http://memory.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpahome.html

How do you tell the life of a country through its people? It is a difficult task, to be sure, and in the 1930s and 1940s the Federal Writers' Project sent hundreds of interviewers out across the country to talk to people about their lives and experiences. These interviews touch on the Great Depression, slavery, political views, the role of the federal government, local folklore, and a myriad of other topics. First-time visitors to this Library of Congress website should read over the "Voices from the Thirties: An Introduction to the WPA Life Histories Collection" section. Visitors can search the interviews by keyword or state, and visitors may wish to start by reading the interview of Louis Larsen, a farmer, social activist and singer in Nebraska, who the interviewer noted "feels the masses are victims of a planned exploitation by a vicious class of legal bandits." >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2009. http://scout.wisc.edu/