Portrait of America

A Cultural History of the Federal Writers' Project

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Affairs & Administration, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Portrait of America by Jerrold Hirsch, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jerrold Hirsch ISBN: 9780807861660
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: July 21, 2004
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Jerrold Hirsch
ISBN: 9780807861660
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: July 21, 2004
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

How well do we know our country? Whom do we include when we use the word "American"? These are not just contemporary issues but recurring questions Americans have asked themselves throughout their history--and questions that were addressed when, in 1935, the Roosevelt administration created the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration. Although the immediate context of the FWP was work relief, national FWP officials developed programs that spoke to much larger and longer-standing debates over the nature of American identity and culture and the very definition of who was an American.

Hirsch reviews the founding of the FWP and the significance of its American Guide series, considering the choices made by administrators who wanted to celebrate diversity as a positive aspect of American cultural identity. In his exploration of the FWP's other writings, Hirsch discusses the project's pioneering use of oral history in interviews with ordinary southerners, ex-slaves, ethnic minorities, and industrial workers. He also examines congressional critics of the FWP vision; the occasional opposition of local Federal Writers, especially in the South; and how the FWP's vision changed in response to the challenge of World War II. In the course of this study, Hirsch raises thought-provoking questions about the relationships between diversity and unity, government and culture, and, ultimately, culture and democracy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How well do we know our country? Whom do we include when we use the word "American"? These are not just contemporary issues but recurring questions Americans have asked themselves throughout their history--and questions that were addressed when, in 1935, the Roosevelt administration created the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration. Although the immediate context of the FWP was work relief, national FWP officials developed programs that spoke to much larger and longer-standing debates over the nature of American identity and culture and the very definition of who was an American.

Hirsch reviews the founding of the FWP and the significance of its American Guide series, considering the choices made by administrators who wanted to celebrate diversity as a positive aspect of American cultural identity. In his exploration of the FWP's other writings, Hirsch discusses the project's pioneering use of oral history in interviews with ordinary southerners, ex-slaves, ethnic minorities, and industrial workers. He also examines congressional critics of the FWP vision; the occasional opposition of local Federal Writers, especially in the South; and how the FWP's vision changed in response to the challenge of World War II. In the course of this study, Hirsch raises thought-provoking questions about the relationships between diversity and unity, government and culture, and, ultimately, culture and democracy.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Allende’s Chile and the Inter-American Cold War by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Are We Not Foreigners Here? by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book I Rode with Stonewall by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Causal Inferences in Nonexperimental Research by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Okra by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book The Origins of Proslavery Christianity by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book John Brown Still Lives! by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Whiting Up by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Neither Lady nor Slave by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Turning the Tables by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Abortion after Roe by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Nell Wise Wechter’s Stories of the North Carolina Coast for Kids, Omnibus E-book by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Peirce on Signs by Jerrold Hirsch
Cover of the book Black Workers and the New Unions by Jerrold Hirsch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy