Christian Watson, Exploration 7: Resettlement Administration

The Joad's come across the Weedpatch Camp which is a sign of positivity. It has running water and working toliets and showers. It is a clean camp where migrants govern themselves. The Weedpatch Camp is a government sponsored facility. The Joad's feel safe here because the have temporarily escaped corrupt officials, Tom found a job, and Ma is treated with kindness and compassion by members of the camp.

Weedpatch Camp is historically accurate. It is a product of the Resettlement Administration. The Resettlement Administration was a new deal agency created during the Depression. Its goal was to successfully relocate hundreds of thousands of families due to the horrid effects of the dust bowl. To achieve this goal, the Resettlement Administration build relief camps in California as well as all around the United States for migrant workers specifically farmers.

This idea of helping displaced people find work can also be seen today in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Federal Bureau of Prisons helps released convicts find work and jobs in their community. This is done to prevent a convict from returning to prison and the state also saves money by keeping people out of prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons trains convicts how to write resumes, how to search for jobs, and how to retain their jobs. Overall, this program gets people back on their feet after being released from prison.

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