The Tennessee Valley Authority and the Destruction of the Tennessee Valley

Tristan Bennett

Ms. Romine

English III Honors

17 March 2015

The year of 1929 began as a year of economic prosperity. Early in the year, many families continued to enjoy the extravagant lifestyle that was common in the roaring '20s, but on October 29, 1929, everything changed. The economy crashed seemingly overnight, leaving

families without money, jobs, or homes. Then entered a new president, Franklin D. Roosevelt,

with a daring plan. Calvin Coolidge had utilized a hands off governmental approach and did

little to help resolve the economic issues of the nation. Roosevelt, however, called for a

number of innovative projects which included the Tennessee Valley Authority, or

TVA. The TVA provided hope of a modern future, for those of the Tennessee valley, but did little to actually help the common man or family unit. It instead left a wake of destruction

in its path, destroying jobs, homes, and businesses as well. Overall, the Tennessee Valley Authority was a poor attempt to stimulate the economy. It invested in unprofitable, decadent technologies and harmed more families than it helped with its invasive projects, including the construction of the Norris Dam.

The TVA destroyed many homes during the construction of Norris dam and provided little help for those who previously resided in these homes. Bob Fowler, a writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel, interviewed a family affected by the construction of Norris Dam. Fowler explains,

TVA bought 152,000 acres in Union, Anderson, Claiborne, Grainger and Campbell counties for the dam and what would become Norris Lake for an average price of $55 an acre. The project resulted in 2,899 families losing their homes. The only assistance TVA offered, Irwin recalled, was for the relocation of graves, some 5,226 of them, which would have been submerged by the lake. (Fowler)

This is a prime example of the TVA’s destructive nature. The construction of the Norris Dam destroyed the homes, land, and income of...