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"Federal Activities Reach Deeper Into Private Life" image from Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette newspaper

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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This picture in the Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette portrays the popular view that the New Deal brought about a dramatic expansion of the role of the federal government. Before the depression most programs were administered at the state and local level. Although the New Deal did not completely change this, its national programs influenced the lives of many more Americans. This was particularly true of the work relief programs. The graphic in the Recorder shows a number of these work programs. In the left hand corner is the Blue Eagle, symbol of the NRA. The mural style, a panorama with a number of scenes blending into one another, is typical of the mural style of the era. Many public buildings displayed such murals, often painted by artists who themselves were employed by New Deal work relief programs.

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