State Historical Society of Iowa

Recovery: A Federal Writer’s Project Interview with Mr. W.W. Tarpley, January 5, 1940

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, Tarpley, W. W., and Bradley, "Recovery," Georgia, 1940

Description 

In the following excerpt from American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940, W.W. Tarver, who had worked in a bank at the time of the stock market crash in October 1929, describes how his life was changed by the circumstances of the Great Depression. The interview was conducted in Georgia in 1940 after about a decade of intolerable economic and social conditions in the United States. 

Full Transcript of Federal Writer's Project Interview 

Transcribed Excerpts from Federal Writer's Project Interview

Source-Dependent Questions

  • How does Mr. Tarpley describe his experience during the Great Depression?
  • In reading about Mr. Tarpley’s experience, how would he describe President Hoover’s ability to understand the plight of the American people during this time?

Citation Information 

Tarpley, W. W., and Bradley, "Recovery," Georgia, 1940. Courtesy of Library of Congress