| Summary |
The purpose of this study is to present a portrait of a New Deal administrator, John Lang, and to examine the North Carolina branch of the National Youth Administration, the agency in which he served. This paper begins with an inspection of the situation that gave rise to the NYA and other New Deal agencies. Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal was in part a response to the harsh effects of the Great Depression. The depression adversely affected a huge percentage of the population of the United States but none more greatly than the youth of America. As an effort to help youth, the National Youth Administration was created in June, 1935, as part of the Work Progress Administration. The NYA centered around two main programs. The work projects program aided unemployed and out of-school youth through employment on work projects and the student aid program provided financial support for youths attending school on both the secondary and collegiate levels. As in other states the youth of North Carolina needed assistance. Charles Eugene McIntosh was appointed the first director of the NYA for North Carolina but was replaced by John Lang in July, 1938. Lang's background with the National Student Federation and the Civilian Conservation Corps more than prepared him for this challenge. Lang's position within the NYA is carefully examined in terms of how he administered the NYA for North Carolina through its various and changing roles which included that of relief, vocational training, and national defense. This study concludes with an inquiry into the reasons for the agency's demise on both the state and national level and an evaluation of Lang and his role within the agency. |
