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People Waiting for Relief Checks in Calipatria, California, March 1937

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The source is a black and white photograph showing a line of men, women, and children waiting for relief checks in California.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Lange, Dorothea, "Waiting for relief checks. Calipatria, California," March 1937

Description

This 1937 photograph was taken by Dorothea Lange, and it depicts a long line of men, women and children waiting in line for relief checks. The checks were part of a government assistance program to help families after a drought.  

Source-Dependent Questions

  • How does the photograph depict either the success or the failure of the New Deal programs?
  • Compare this image with the 1932 image of the breadline in New York. Based on the fact that the two images were taken five years apart, how would you categorize the success of the New Deal programs?

Citation Information 

Lange, Dorothea, "Waiting for relief checks. Calipatria, California," March 1937. Courtesy of Library of Congress