American Memory | Learning Page | Learn More

These 2,900 documents chronicle vivid life stories of Americans who lived at the turn-of-the-century. Narratives tell of meeting Billy the Kid, surviving the 1871 Chicago fire, pioneer journeys West, of grueling factory work, and the immigrant experience. Writers hired by this Depression-era work project included Ralph Ellison, Nelson Algren, and many others.

More About It!	US History Content | Historical Thinking Skills | Social Studies Frameworks | Language Arts | Classroom Uses | Acknowledgments
Special Presentation:	Voices from the Thirties: An Introduction to the WPA Life Histories Collection http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/wpahome.html
Historical Eras:	The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877 Development of the Industrial United States, 1876-1915 Emergence of Modern America, 1890-1930 The Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945
Related Collections:	African American Pamphlets, 1818-1907 American Variety Stage, 1870-1920 Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865 Conservation Movement, 1850-1920 Early Motion Pictures, 1897-1916 National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921 World's Transportation Commission Photographs, 1894-1896
Center for the Book:	Read More About It!
Search Tips:	*To search the collection by location, go to Select a Region and State. This screen provides guided searches by region of the United States. *To find out how many interviews were registered in a particular state, go to States. Twenty-four states are represented in the collection. *For more help with search words, go to American Memory Search Tips.

Library of Congress URL: http://www.loc.gov/

Questions about American Memory? NDLP Reference Librarian: ndlpedu@loc.gov

Learn More About It: WPA Life History Manuscripts, 1936-1940 - Introduction URL: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/wpa/wpaintro.html

Sep-16-96