The Great Depression struck Philadelphia severely. By 1932 over 281,000 unemployed people in the city vainly searched for work. Hundreds of homeless men crammed the empty Baldwin Locomotive Works building which served as a city shelter. On the national level, Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected and began to initiate the New Deal programs to provide relief from the country's economic crisis.
Philadelphia's Republican mayor, J. Hampton Moore, doggedly resisted participation in many of these programs. As a result, Philadelphia initially received little benefit from New Deal measures. Even so, Philadelphia residents voted overwhelmingly for Roosevelt's reelection in 1936. Mayor Moore's successor, S. Davis Wilson, also scorned the New Deal in his election campaign. After he took office in 1936, however, he enthusiastically used funding from agencies such as the Public Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration to initiate relief projects in Philadelphia. These federal programs enabled the city to construct new schools, streets, sewers, and an airport and boost local employment. Locally, Philadelphia's once dormant Democratic Party also sprang back to life.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Philadelphia Information info
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