OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE KNOXVILLE TRANSIENT BUREAU AND TRANSIENT POPULATION
By Caroline Peyton
Department of History
Faculty Mentor: Jeannie Whayne
Department of History
Abstract
The narrative of America's economic depression in the 1920s and 1930s is often accompanied by poignant images of male transients riding the railroads. Behind the classic narrative, however, the story of transients is far more complex and varied. Although Franklin Roosevelt's answer to the Depression -- the New Deal -- is well documented and debated, most historians have ignored the Federal Transient Service (FTS), one of many New Deal programs. Although the FTS lasted a brief two years, it served the needs of 211,056 transients at the height of its operations. With approximately 270 transient bureaus, the FTS sought to provide food and shelter, jobs, education, medical care, and much more. By closely analyzing a particular transient bureau, the Knoxville (TN) Transient Bureau, the story of Depression-era transients reveals itself more fully.
As a city of crossroads, Knoxville acted as an urban gateway for the surrounding rural areas. The economic depression struck Knoxville much like other cities, with the exception of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Thus, the hope of finding work with the TVA or other industries attracted hoards of people to Knoxville. The incoming tide of transients prompted the creation of the Knoxville Transient Bureau (KTB), and established a new form of aid, unlike any other. Although the KTB was one of many transient bureaus, the importance of the KTB as a singular institution should not be dismissed. Rather, the examination of one Transient Bureau provides historians with an in-depth assessment of the problems both transients and agencies faced.
The Knoxville Transient Bureau and its director, Frances Strong, faced numerous challenges and complications during the program's existence. Chapter Three deals with one of the primary problems for the KTB, finding appropriate facilities. Most communities viewed transients with disdain. Such hostility forced the KTB to carefully determine the location of each building, as well as the 'type' of transient or function for the building. Families were often provided private shelter, while single males stayed in communal housing. The fears of pollution, moral corruption, and mixing of gender/ age groups is an important indicator of the widespread anxiety of the period. More importantly, the anxieties transient populations provoked are still relevant today.
The KTB's records reveal the unique complexities of transient youth and families, discussed in Chapters Four and Five. These chapters also help to unravel the mythic image of the depression: the lone transient male. Although adult male transients were the largest percentage of the KTB's population, these men often had families waiting for them. The fictional notion of males with wanderlust is quickly dispelled by the stark realities of the period. Transients cannot be embodied solely by one particular type; the economic depression affected people of all ages and cut across the lines of gender and race. The problems unique to individual transients deserve examination, and the KTB's records provide historians with a rare glimpse into many transient's lives. The KTB's transients were individuals with aspirations and interests, not merely silent sufferers fallen to the wayside.
Chapter Six concerns the KTB's the medical care program and the unwavering sympathy the bureau had towards not only physically ill transients, but also mentally ill transients. This stands in stark contrast to common attitudes of the period. This chapter further explores the notion that transients potentially "polluted" society by their presence. The KTB's records concerning medical care are surprising in their detail, providing an excellent opportunity to analyze the beginnings of Federal medical support. The lengthy reach of the KTB extended beyond medical care, providing jobs and education, as discussed in Chapter Seven. Although other transient bureaus also had these programs, few had the success of the KTB.
As discussed in Chapter Eight, the success of the KTB is strongly tied to the network of female leaders in the Tennessee Transient Bureau that promoted and sustained the state's bureaus. Frances Strong, director of the KTB, aligned herself with her fellow female directors on the state and national level. This network truly allowed the KTB to be a successful and positive program, however brief its existence. Despite the KTB's achievements and leadership, the Federal Transient Service fell prey to the second phase of the New Deal, discussed in the conclusion. For the FTS, the bureau's success contributed to its demise. With many transients aided and assimilated, the problem of the disenfranchised was once again relegated to private charities.
Nonetheless, the legacy of the KTB lies in the wealth of information in their records. For a brief moment in time, transients were no longer elusive or mythic, but well documented and supported. The relevance of the KTB in modern times is disturbingly clear. In the wake of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the questions of responsibility and appropriate aid by the Federal government are still being debated. By examining the impact of a transient bureau on a local level, one can see the tremendous impact of the KTB on transient families, youth, and adults. But the FTS was never intended as a long-term solution to transients, rather a brief measure to restore confidence. In a capitalist society, the ability to work is valued far more than the ability to aid. Those unable to sustain themselves are often considered without value, however ill advised that opinion may be. Thus, the stories of those aided by the KTB, as well as the staff, are not only an enduring example of the Depression, but also a lesson for modern society.
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