Tennessee Valley Authority
When Franklin D. Roosevelt became President of the United States in the 1930s, he set up many projects and agencies to help remedy the America Great Depression. All of these projects were called the New Deal. One of these specific agencies was the Tennessee Valley Authority. Established in 1933, the TVA was designed to aid the Tennessee Valley. The Valley was constantly plagued by “floods, deforestation, and eroded land” (America’s Library, 1). Roosevelt designed TVA to remedy these issues by “teaching better farming methods, replanting trees, and building dams” (America’s Library, 1). TVA worked to make passage across the river manageable. The agency also helped create jobs in the Tennessee River area.
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Not only did the TVA create jobs in the Tennessee Valley Region, but it also provided relatively cheap electricity to thousands of people (“History of the TVA”, 2). Affordable electricity helped to improve “standards of living and economic competitiveness of the family farm” (“History of the TVA”, 3). The agency was directed by a three person board, first made up of Arthur Morgan, David Lilienthal, and Harcourt Morgan. These three men had slightly different priorities, but worked together to end poverty in the area.
The Tennessee Valley Authority was one of the most successful enterprises of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Shaped mostly by conservative ideals, it improved the opportunities of farmers in the East, and helped create jobs and generate affordable electricity. Lasting far longer than the Great Depression, the TVA remains to this day, helping to solve many issues in the Tennessee Valley.
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Bibliography
Alanson, Van Fleet A. The Tennessee Valley Authority. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Print.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
"History of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)." Almanac of Policy Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
"New Deal." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
"Tennessee Valley Authority." America's Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
"Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
"History of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)." Almanac of Policy Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
"New Deal." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
"Tennessee Valley Authority." America's Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
"Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.