DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NEW MEXICO A LOOK AT THE
30S, 40S AND 50S IN NEW MEXICO
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A LITTLE HISTORY.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM THE ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY OF THE 1920S ENDED WITH AN ECONOMIC DISASTER. WE HAVE
COME TO REFER TO THAT DISASTER AS THE GREAT DEPRESSION. THE
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY OF THE 1920S ENDED WITH AN ECONOMIC DISASTER.
WE HAVE COME TO REFER TO THAT DISASTER AS THE GREAT DEPRESSION. BY
1933 PRODUCTION IN AMERICAN FACTORIES AND PLANTS HAD FALLEN,
THOUSANDS OF BANKS, WITH NO MONEY TO LEND AND NO CASH ON HAND,
CLOSED THEIR DOORS. BY 1933 PRODUCTION IN AMERICAN FACTORIES AND
PLANTS HAD FALLEN, THOUSANDS OF BANKS, WITH NO MONEY TO LEND AND NO
CASH ON HAND, CLOSED THEIR DOORS.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM IN THE END, MILLIONS
OF AMERICAN WORKERS FOUND THEMSELVES WITHOUT WORK AND WITHOUT EVEN
THE HOPE OF WORK. AS PEOPLE LOOKED INTO THE FUTURE AND SO ONLY MORE
HARDSHIP TO COME, HOPE BEGAN TO FADE. IN THE END, MILLIONS OF
AMERICAN WORKERS FOUND THEMSELVES WITHOUT WORK AND WITHOUT EVEN THE
HOPE OF WORK. AS PEOPLE LOOKED INTO THE FUTURE AND SO ONLY MORE
HARDSHIP TO COME, HOPE BEGAN TO FADE. THE DEPRESSION WOULD JOLT
MANY OUT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM FORCING THEM TO LOOK AT THE
REALITIES OF WIDESPREAD POVERTY. THE DEPRESSION WOULD JOLT MANY OUT
OF THE AMERICAN DREAM FORCING THEM TO LOOK AT THE REALITIES OF
WIDESPREAD POVERTY.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM
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IN A NUT SHELL WHAT HAPPENED WAS...
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM DURING THE ECONOMIC
BOOM OF THE ROARING TWENTIES, THE TRADITIONAL VALUES OF RURAL
AMERICA WERE CHALLENGED BY THE JAZZ AGE, SYMBOLIZED BY WOMEN
SMOKING, DRINKING, AND WEARING SHORT SKIRTS. DURING THE ECONOMIC
BOOM OF THE ROARING TWENTIES, THE TRADITIONAL VALUES OF RURAL
AMERICA WERE CHALLENGED BY THE JAZZ AGE, SYMBOLIZED BY WOMEN
SMOKING, DRINKING, AND WEARING SHORT SKIRTS. THE AVERAGE AMERICAN
WAS BUSY BUYING AUTOMOBILES AND HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES, AND
SPECULATING IN THE STOCK MARKET, WHERE BIG MONEY COULD BE
MADE.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM THOSE APPLIANCES WERE
BOUGHT ON CREDIT, HOWEVER. ALTHOUGH BUSINESSES HAD MADE HUGE GAINS
65 PERCENT FROM THE MECHANIZATION OF MANUFACTURING, THE AVERAGE
WORKERS WAGES HAD ONLY INCREASED 8 PERCENT.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM THE IMBALANCE BETWEEN
THE RICH AND THE POOR, WITH 0.1 PERCENT OF SOCIETY EARNING THE SAME
TOTAL INCOME AS 42 PERCENT, COMBINED WITH PRODUCTION OF MORE AND
MORE GOODS AND RISING PERSONAL DEBT, COULD NOT BE SUSTAINED.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM ON BLACK TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 29, 1929, THE STOCK MARKET CRASHED, TRIGGERING THE GREAT
DEPRESSION, THE WORST ECONOMIC COLLAPSE IN THE HISTORY OF THE
MODERN INDUSTRIAL WORLD. IT SPREAD FROM THE UNITED STATES TO THE
REST OF THE WORLD, LASTING FROM THE END OF 1929 UNTIL THE EARLY
1940S. ON BLACK TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1929, THE STOCK MARKET
CRASHED, TRIGGERING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, THE WORST ECONOMIC
COLLAPSE IN THE HISTORY OF THE MODERN INDUSTRIAL WORLD. IT SPREAD
FROM THE UNITED STATES TO THE REST OF THE WORLD, LASTING FROM THE
END OF 1929 UNTIL THE EARLY 1940S.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM And KABOOM!
Everything the lives that most had knownwas simply gone!
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM WITH BANKS FAILING
AND BUSINESSES CLOSING, MORE THAN 15 MILLION AMERICANS (ONE-QUARTER
OF THE WORKFORCE) BECAME UNEMPLOYED!!!
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM VIDEOS #1 AND 2
VIDEOS #1 AND 2
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM
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HOOVERVILLE????? HOOVERVILLE?????
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM DURING THE GREAT
DEPRESSION, WHICH BEGAN IN 1929 AND LASTED APPROXIMATELY A DECADE,
SHANTYTOWNS APPEARED ACROSS THE U.S. AS UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE WERE
EVICTED FROM THEIR HOMES. AS THE DEPRESSION WORSENED IN THE 1930S,
CAUSING SEVERE HARDSHIPS FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, MANY LOOKED TO
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR ASSISTANCE.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM WHEN THE GOVERNMENT
FAILED TO PROVIDE RELIEF, PRESIDENT HERBERT HOOVER (1874-1964) WAS
BLAMED FOR THE INTOLERABLE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS, AND THE
SHANTYTOWNS THAT CROPPED UP ACROSS THE NATION, PRIMARILY ON THE
OUTSKIRTS OF MAJOR CITIES, BECAME KNOWN AS HOOVERVILLES. WHEN THE
GOVERNMENT FAILED TO PROVIDE RELIEF, PRESIDENT HERBERT HOOVER
(1874-1964) WAS BLAMED FOR THE INTOLERABLE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
CONDITIONS, AND THE SHANTYTOWNS THAT CROPPED UP ACROSS THE NATION,
PRIMARILY ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MAJOR CITIES, BECAME KNOWN AS
HOOVERVILLES.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM VIDEO #3 VIDEO
#3
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM THE HIGHLY UNPOPULAR
HOOVER, A REPUBLICAN, WAS DEFEATED IN THE 1932 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION BY DEMOCRAT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT (1882-1945), WHOSE NEW DEAL
RECOVERY PROGRAMS EVENTUALLY HELPED LIFT THE U.S. OUT OF THE
DEPRESSION. IN THE EARLY 1940S, MOST REMAINING HOOVERVILLES WERE
TORN DOWN. THE HIGHLY UNPOPULAR HOOVER, A REPUBLICAN, WAS DEFEATED
IN THE 1932 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BY DEMOCRAT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
(1882-1945), WHOSE NEW DEAL RECOVERY PROGRAMS EVENTUALLY HELPED
LIFT THE U.S. OUT OF THE DEPRESSION. IN THE EARLY 1940S, MOST
REMAINING HOOVERVILLES WERE TORN DOWN.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM THE BONUS MARCH:
World War I veterans block the steps of the Capital during the
Bonus March, July 5, 1932.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM IN THE SUMMER OF
1932, IN THE MIDST OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WORLD WAR I VETERANS
SEEKING EARLY PAYMENT OF A BONUS SCHEDULED FOR 1945 ASSEMBLED IN
WASHINGTON TO PRESSURE CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE. IN THE SUMMER
OF 1932, IN THE MIDST OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WORLD WAR I VETERANS
SEEKING EARLY PAYMENT OF A BONUS SCHEDULED FOR 1945 ASSEMBLED IN
WASHINGTON TO PRESSURE CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM HOOVER RESISTED THE
DEMAND FOR AN EARLY BONUS. VETERANS BENEFITS TOOK UP 25% OF THE
1932 FEDERAL BUDGET. EVEN SO, AS THE BONUS EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
SWELLED TO 60,000 MEN, THE PRESIDENT SECRETLY ORDERED THAT ITS
MEMBERS BE GIVEN TENTS, COTS, ARMY RATIONS AND MEDICAL CARE. HOOVER
RESISTED THE DEMAND FOR AN EARLY BONUS. VETERANS BENEFITS TOOK UP
25% OF THE 1932 FEDERAL BUDGET. EVEN SO, AS THE BONUS EXPEDITIONARY
FORCE SWELLED TO 60,000 MEN, THE PRESIDENT SECRETLY ORDERED THAT
ITS MEMBERS BE GIVEN TENTS, COTS, ARMY RATIONS AND MEDICAL
CARE.
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THE DUST BOWL THE DUST BOWL THE DUST BOWL
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DUST BOWL DUST BOWL
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM VIDEO #4 VIDEO #4
QUESTIONS.SEE HANDOUT QUESTIONS.SEE HANDOUT
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FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM VIDEOS #5 AND #6
VIDEOS #5 AND #6
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FDRS NEW DEAL VIDEO #7 VIDEO #7
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THE NEW DEAL TAKING OFFICE IN MARCH 1933, PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D.
ROOSEVELTS NEW DEAL RELIEF MEASURES WERE SENT TO CONGRESS AND
WITHIN MONTHS, MOST OF THE ACTS THE PRESIDENT WANTED WERE PASSED.
NEW MEXICANS WELCOMED NEW DEAL PROGRAMS OF ALL KINDS.
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THE NEW DEAL SOME OF THE NEW DEAL PROGRAMS, SUCH AS THE WORKS
PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION (WPA), PUT PEOPLE TO WORK IN VARYING JOBS:
WRITERS, ARTISTS, AND MUSICIANS PRACTICED THEIR TRADES AS EMPLOYEES
OF WPA PROJECTS, WHILE OTHERS WHO WORKED FOR THE WPA BUILT SCHOOLS
AND OTHER PUBLIC BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE LIBRARY AND THE
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM
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HERE IN NEW MEXICO ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT SEGMENTS OF ECONOMY
DURING THE DEPRESSION WAS FARMING. IN 1931, THE STATES MOST
IMPORTANT CROPS WERE WORTH ONLY ABOUT HALF OF THEIR 1929 VALUE. DRY
FARMERS WERE ESPECIALLY DEVASTATED AS THEY SUFFERED FROM BOTH
CONTINUALLY HIGH OPERATING COSTS AND A PROLONGED DROUGHT THAT DRIED
UP PORTIONS OF NEW MEXICO SO BADLY THAT THEY BECAME PART OF THE
DUST BOWL.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM FROM OKLAHOMA TO
EASTERN NEW MEXICO, WINDS PICKED UP THE DRY TOPSOIL, FORMING GREAT
CLOUDS OF DUST SO THICK THAT IT FILLED THE AIR. ON MAY 28, 1937,
ONE DUST CLOUD, OR BLACK ROLLER, MEASURING FIFTEEN HUNDRED FEET
HIGH AND A MILE ACROSS, DESCENDED UPON THE FARMING AND RANCHING
COMMUNITY OF CLAYTON, NEW MEXICO.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM
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THE DUST BLEW FOR HOURS AND WAS SO THICK THAT ELECTRIC LIGHTS
COULD NOT BE SEEN ACROSS THE STREET. EVERYWHERE THEY HIT, THE DUST
STORMS KILLED LIVESTOCK AND DESTROYED CROPS. IN THE ESTANCIA VALLEY
ENTIRE CROPS OF PINTO BEANS WERE KILLED, AND THAT ONCE PRODUCTIVE
AREA WAS TRANSFORMED INTO WHAT AUTHOR JOHN L. SINCLAIR HAS CALLED
THE VALLEY OF BROKEN HEARTS.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM IN ALL PARTS OF NEW
MEXICO, FARMLAND DROPPED IN VALUE UNTIL IT BOTTOMED OUT AT AN
AVERAGE OF $4.95 AN ACRE, THE LOWEST VALUE PER ACRE OF LAND IN THE
UNITED STATES. MANY NEW MEXICO FARMERS HAD FEW OR NO CROPS TO SELL
AND EVENTUALLY, THEY WERE FORCED TO SELL THEIR LAND CONTRIBUTING IN
THE PROCESS TO THE OVERALL DECLINE IN FARMLAND VALUES.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM THE DEPRESSION ALSO
HURT NEW MEXICOS CATTLE RANCHERS, FOR THEY SUFFERED FROM BOTH
DROUGHT AND A SHRINKING MARKETPLACE. AS GRASSLANDS DRIED UP, THEY
RAISED FEWER CATTLE; AND AS THE DEMAND FOR BEEF DECLINED, SO DID
THE VALUE OF THE CATTLE ON NEW MEXICOS RANGELANDS.
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DEPRESSION, THE NEW DEAL & HOPE IN NM LIKE THE FARMERS,
MANY RANCHERS FELL BEHIND IN THEIR TAXES AND WERE FORCED TO SELL
THEIR LAND, WHICH WAS BOUGHT BY LARGE RANCHERS.
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO CLYDE &
CARRIETINGLEY!
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO SO, THE NEW DEAL (AT LEAST
PART OF IT, ANYWAY) WAS ABOUT GETTING AMERICANS AND NEW MEXICANS
BACK TO WORK. CLYDE TINGLEY WOULD BRING FDRS PROGRAM HOME TO NEW
MEXICO! SO, THE NEW DEAL (AT LEAST PART OF IT, ANYWAY) WAS ABOUT
GETTING AMERICANS AND NEW MEXICANS BACK TO WORK. CLYDE TINGLEY
WOULD BRING FDRS PROGRAM HOME TO NEW MEXICO!
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO BACKED BY GOV. CLYDE TINGLEY
AND THE WPA, THE ALBUQUERQUE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT OPENED IN 1939. IT
HAD TWO RUNWAYS. PICTURED BEHIND THE PLANE, IN 1950, IS A
PUEBLO-STYLE TERMINAL DESIGNED BY ERNEST BLUMENTHAL.
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO Construction workers building
Conchas Dam in northeastern New Mexico. Conchas Dam was the first
project the Albuquerque District completed thanks to the New
Deal
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO Governor Clyde Tingley would
appoint DENNIS CHAVEZ Senator. The two men would recognize the need
to work together to bring federal NEW DEAL dollars to the state of
New Mexico. In the end, their partnership would produce
far-reaching benefits to the state.
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO BY 1936 MORE THAN THIRTEEN
THOUSAND NEW MEXICANS HAD FOUND JOBS THANKS TO NEW DEAL
PROGRAMS.
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO A PERSON OF INTEREST: A PERSON
OF INTEREST: PABLITA VELARDE
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO A monumental mural by Pablita
Velarde: Green Corn Dance.
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO BETWEEN 1933 1943, IN THE
DEPTH OF THE DEPRESSION, 167 KNOWN ARTISTS LIVED IN NEW MEXICO, ALL
STRUGGLING TO SELL ART IN A TIME WHEN MANY AMERICANS HAD LITTLE
MONEY AVAILABLE EVEN FOR NECESSITIES. THE NEW DEALS WORKS PROGRESS
ADMINISTRATION ART PROJECT PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISTS TO
CREATE ARTWORK FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS, ALLOWING THEM TO REMAIN
INDEPENDENT, SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES, AND ENRICH AND ENHANCE THE
COMMUNITY.
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO ACCORDING TO THE NEW MEXICO
ART MUSEUM, THE FOLLOWING NEW MEXICO ARTISTS WERE AMONG THE MANY
EMPLOYED IN WPA PROJECTS: PABLITA VELARDE, MARIA MARTINEZ, ILA
MCAFEE, GERALD CASSIDY, WILL SHUSTER, LLOYD MOYLAN, GISELLA
LOEFFLER, ELISEO RODRIGUEZ, KENNETH ADAMS, FREMONT F. ELLIS AND
PETER HURD.
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THE NEW DEAL COMES TO NEW MEXICO THE AREA COORDINATOR OF THE
WPAS PUBLIC WORKS OF ART PROJECT WAS WOODBLOCK PRINTER, PAINTER AND
MARIONETTE-MAKER GUSTAVE BAUMANN, A LEADING MEMBER OF THE SANTA FE
ART COMMUNITY. MORE THAN 65 MURALS WITH VARIED SUBJECT MATERIALS
WERE CREATED IN NEW MEXICO DURING THE DEPRESSION. IN ADDITION TO
THESE MURALS, THE WPA SPONSORED MORE THAN 650 PAINTINGS, TEN
SCULPTURAL PIECES, AND NUMEROUS INDIGENOUS HISPANIC NATIVE AMERICAN
CRAFTS.
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" Justice Tempered with Mercy (Uphold the Right, Prevent the
Wrong)" 1936. oil on canvas. Emil Bisttram, painter. Location: Main
entrance Zimmerman Library, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally
installed in Roswell, NM, court house. Moved to present location in
1983.
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THE INDIAN NEW DEAL IN NEW MEXICO PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT APPOINTED
JOHN COLLIER AS COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS (1933 1945). COLLIER
TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF NEW DEAL FUNDS TO PROMOTE INDIAN ARTS AND
CRAFTS, INCREASE EMPLOYMENT, IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE ON
RESERVATIONS, AND CONSTRUCT SCHOOLS.
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THE INDIAN NEW DEAL IN NEW MEXICO COLLIER WAS AN IDEALIST WHO
STRUGGLED TO REFORM FEDERAL INDIAN POLICY DURING HIS TWELVE-YEAR
TERM. YEARS EARLIER, DURING A 1920 VISIT TO HIS CLOSE FRIEND, TAOS
RESIDENT AND ART PATRON MABEL DODGE LUHAN, HE HAD EMBRACED PUEBLO
INDIAN CULTURE AS OFFERING NOTHING LESS THAN SALVATION FROM THE
ILLS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION.