Suggested Research Topics - Politics and the Historical Records Survey
The HRS was one of the WPA's unemployment relief program, this one for white-collar workers. It operated during the years 1936-1942 in Michigan. Workers researched the history of each county and its government organization and inventoried government records. Some of the historical research was done in Detroit, using published county histories and other sources, but much of the research and all of the inventorying was done in the field. To report on their progress, HRS field workers wrote frequent letters to their supervisors.
What was the relation of the HRS to other government agencies? How did coming under the WPA umbrella help or hinder the HRS, both in people's attitudes to the project and in its ability to obtain and retain workers? How did Republican and other hostile views of Roosevelt and his programs affect the day-to-day functioning of HRS workers in the field? Why were many of the fruits of HRS labors shunted aside and ignored after the termination of this project?
Examples of Primary Source Collections and Other Resources
- Historical Records Survey. Michigan. Correspondence files for each county, reports, descriptions of the project
Secondary Sources:
- American Archivist, vol. 37, no. 2 (numerous articles)
In an effort to encourage creative thinking about possible research topics for students unfamiliar with archives and their inevitable complexities, archivists and student employees of the Bentley Historical Library have authored "suggested research topics ." The purpose of these is not to define a topic but rather to stimulate thinking about a topic where the holdings of the Bentley Library are particularly strong.