Play script

By: Arthur Arent

Date: 1938

Source: Arent, Arthur, ed. "One-Third of a Nation." In Federal Theatre Plays. New York: Random House, 1938, 92–103.

About the Author: Arthur Arent (1904–1972) wrote plays for radio, television, and the Federal Theatre Project's Living Newspapers. His plays with Living Newspapers, in addition to One-Third of a Nation, include Ethiopia, Injunction Granted, and Power. His broader writing career included assignments for Warner Brothers and the U.S. Office of War Information. Arent was also a staff writer for CBS later in his career.

Introduction

In response to the deep economic crisis of the early 1930s, the Roosevelt administration initiated a variety of relief programs. The Works Progress Administration (WPA), one of the signature programs of the New Deal, was created by the $4.8 billion...