Principles of Civic Engagement Key Terms

Work Progress Administration

A major New Deal agency, created in 1935, that provided public employment on a vast array of projects, including construction and arts programs, to combat unemployment during the Great Depression.

Federal Theatre Project

A program under the Work Progress Administration that supported live theatrical productions and employed artists during the Great Depression.

Willa Cather

An American novelist and author known for her works depicting life on the Great Plains, particularly during the early 20th century.

Harry Hopkins

A key advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and administrator of the Work Progress Administration, he played a significant role in creating jobs and supporting economic recovery during the Great Depression.

Hallie Flanagan

An influential director of the Federal Theatre Project and known for running it, she promoted artistic collaboration and social activism in theater.

“Living Newspapers”

A form of theatrical performance created by the Federal Theatre Project that combined news, documentary, and drama to inform audiences about critical social issues.

“Voodoo Macbeth”

Orson Welles' 1936 all-Black production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in 19th-century Haiti with voodoo imagery instead of Scottish folklore.

Orson Welles

A filmmaker, actor, and director known for his significant work in the Federal Theatre Project such as Voodoo Macbeth

John Houseman

A theatre producer who helped with the Federal Theatre Project with Voodoo Macbeth alongside Orson Welles

Asadata Dafora

A well known African figure when it came to black dance in America

Abdul Assen

A west African dancer known for his powerful portrayal of a witch doctor in the African dance and drama productions of Asadata Dafora

Percy Hammond

A journalist and theater critic for the Chicago Tribune and the New York Herald Tribune. He mainly gave information on theatre news and criticisms revolving around plays.

Rose McClendon

A leading African-American Broadway actress of the 1920s. A founder of the Negro People's Theatre, she guided the creation of the Federal Theatre Project's African American theatre units nationwide and briefly co-directed the New York Negro Theater Unit.

Edna Thomas

An American stage actress whose career began in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance. She appeared on Broadway, with the Lafayette Players theater company, and in productions by the Federal Theater Project of the Works Progress Administration.

Canada Lee

An American professional boxer and actor who pioneered roles for African Americans. Known for being a lead actor in Voodoo Macbeth.

Hazel Huffman

A WPA worker and internal critic who accused the FTP of communist sympathies.

Hays Office

A regulatory body created by Hollywood studios to monitor the moral content of films and prevent government censorship.

The Dies Committee

Congressional committee (1938–1944) led by Martin Dies Jr. to investigate “subversive” activities and signs of communism in the FTP. Led to the shutdown of the FTP due to the committee accusing Flannigan of being communist.

Liberty Deffered

A play that was about the history of African Americans and their struggle for civil rights. It was cancelled due to censorship after the FTP shut down.

Abram Hill

A principal figure in the development of black theatre from Atlanta, Georgia. He worked in the FTP’s Negro Units and helped to write Liberty Deferred to help with covering racial themes.

John Silveira

A director and collaborator with Abram Hill in the FTP’s Harlem Unit. He promoted socially conscious Black theatre.

“Lynchopia”

Dramatic exploration of racial terror and lynching in America which exposed violence that was often ignored by mainstream culture.

Nixon v. Condon

A Supreme Court case that found an all-white Democratic Party primary in Texas unconstitutional.

Panyarring

The practice of seizing and holding persons until the repayment of debt or resolution of a dispute which became a common activity along the Atlantic coast of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

“America First”

A 1930s–1940s isolationist slogan opposing U.S. involvement in WWII.

Father Charles Coughlin

A Catholic priest and radio personality; used radio to spread antisemitic and anti–New Deal messages.

The Fish Committee

A special U.S. House of Representatives committee created in 1930 to investigate communist activities in the United States, led by Rep. Hamilton Fish III.

J. Parnell Thomas

A Conservative congressman on the Dies Committee who led accusations that FTP plays promoted communist ideology.

George Sylvester Viereck

A German-American writer and Nazi sympathizer active in the U.S who spread pro-Hitler propaganda through publications.

Sinclair Lewis

American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright, famous for being the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930. He also wrote It Can’t Happen Here

It Can’t Happen Here

An FTP adaption of Sinclair’s novel that encouraged citizens to discuss democracy and authoritarianism.

Huey Long

A Louisiana governor and senator; populist who promoted “Share Our Wealth.” He represented populist rhetoric and was both embraced and critiqued by New Deal artists.