Question

I think it was good for the government to pay artists during the Great Depression. It gave people jobs and helped keep morale up during a hard time. The artwork also helped preserve American culture and history.

Answer 1

That’s a solid point — and historians who study the New Deal generally make many of the same arguments. A short, balanced summary:

Why it helped
- Jobs and income: Programs like the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and its arts branches directly paid thousands of artists, writers, actors, and musicians when private patrons and commercial markets had collapsed. That put money into households and local economies at a time of extreme need.
- Morale and civic life: Public performances, murals, and community art classes made culture accessible and helped sustain community identity and pride during a demoralizing period.
- Preservation and documentation: Federal projects recorded and preserved aspects of American life — for example, photographers and writers documented migrant workers, small towns, and regional traditions; the Federal Writers’ Project collected oral histories (including slave narratives) that are invaluable primary sources today.

Concrete legacies
- Public murals, post office paintings, photographs, plays, and guidebooks that remain part of the built and cultural landscape.
- Career support for many artists who later became influential (the New Deal arts programs supported people who went on to shape mid-century American art and culture).
- Archives and collections used by historians, educators, and the public.

Common criticisms and tradeoffs
- Political controversy: Some programs were accused of promoting certain ideologies or of wasting money, and there were debates about censorship and control of content.
- Questions of artistic judgment: Critics argued government patronage could favor particular styles or lower standards if selection was politicized.
- Cost and scope: Opponents questioned whether government should fund art at all versus private support or other relief priorities.

Overall assessment
Most scholars view the New Deal arts programs as a net positive: they provided immediate relief, broadened public access to culture, and left a substantial archival and physical record of American life that we still use and value. If you want, I can give specific examples (artists, murals, photographs, or the slave narratives) or point to a few good sources. Which would you prefer?