River, The

Duration: 32 min.

Genre: Educational

Year Published: 1939

Creator: Farm Security Administration

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Sound: sound

Description: This short Depression-era documentary describes the importance of the Mississippi River to the United States. It laments the environmental destruction committed in the name of progress, particularly farming and timber practices which cause massive erosion and result in vast amounts of top soil being washed down the river into the Gulf of Mexico. The film focuses especially on the impact this has had on impoverished farmers. It ends on a very upbeat note, however, with a celebration of the TVA, "modern" farming technology, and the use of dams to control the river and prevent flooding., Dramatizes the history of the Mississippi River and its role in the life of America. Shows the misuse of soil and forests, the resulting erosion and floods, and the work of the TVA in bringing the Tennessee River, a tributary of the Mississippi, under control and making use of its power.

Complete Record: This short Depression-era documentary describes the importance of the Mississippi River to the United States. It laments the environmental destruction committed in the name of progress, particularly farming and timber practices which cause massive erosion and result in vast amounts of top soil being washed down the river into the Gulf of Mexico. The film focuses especially on the impact this has had on impoverished farmers. It ends on a very upbeat note, however, with a celebration of the TVA, "modern" farming technology, and the use of dams to control the river and prevent flooding., NOTE: Two (or more) records have been merged together to create this data.