The Tennessee Valley Authority

The Tennessee Valley Authority was set into action by President Franklin Roosevelt on May 18, 1933. The purpose of Roosevelt’s programs, collectively known as the New Deal was to set in place programs to attempt to lift the country out of a devastating Depression. In addition to providing much needed jobs to individuals all over the country, the Tennessee Valley Authority sought to bring electricity to the residents of the Tennessee Valley as well as brining a much needed irrigation source to the area.

Since the area of the Tennessee Valley is directly around the Tennessee River, the Authority planned to generate power by harnessing the natural energy of the river. Due to the Depression, residents of Tennessee Valley did not have electricity in their homes and businesses like much of the country. Therefore, the project was to tackle the problem of power as top priority.

The residents of Tennessee Valley were quite poor and even referred to as the "Forgotten Americans". No wonder electricity was lacking in the valley. Roosevelt’s TVA rectified this notion by remembering these forgotten individuals and helping them in rebuilding the area. After the TVA brought electricity to the valley’s residents, the once forgotten Americans began to grow financially strong and their average incomes increased considerably.

Apart from bringing electricity to the area by utilizing the natural energy of the river, the TVA also succeeded in controlling the floods which used to ravage the area sorrounding the river. This saved the people of the area from the damage that was caused to their crops and houses because of the flood. The TVA achieved this by building dams to control the flow of the river.

As the flooding was controlled, a source of irrigation was also formed. During the years of the Depression, crops suffered tremendously due to lack of water and farmers were often plunged deeper and deeper into debt due to these crop failures. The modern agricultural techniques of irrigation were quite new to area residents who were used to farming using the same methods as their forefathers, but the techniques quickly caught on.

It was very difficult to traverse the river by boats before the TVA built these new dams. Once these dams were built, it became much more easy to navigate through the river. This brought in increased traffic to the area, thereby bringing much needed funds.

There were other substantial natural benefits from the TVA. The TVA helped in controlling forest fires. Another benefit was the replanting of trees which lead to the regeneration of the depleted forest reserves. The regeneration of the forest acted as a glue for the wild life and they returned to the forests in drove. Similarly the construction of dams also brought in more fish to inhabit the river.

Tennessee Valley Authority was a pioneering effort at a very crucial juncture in the country's history. It not only provided jobs for a number of unemployed Americans but also helped in improving the overall economic status of the residents of the valley. Its innumerable contribution therefore should not be underestimated.

Article Source: http://www.articles.ask-me-about.com

Grace Pallin is the webmaster for F tennessee, the web's premier resource for information about tennessee. For more articles on tennessee visit: www.fyitennessee.com/articles
Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the tennessee Articles Submissions Service