Era 10: The Great Depression and World War II: New Deal (1929–1945)

Summary: Students will be asked to “read like a detective” and gain a clear understanding of the content of Franklin Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address. Through reading and analyzing the original text, the students will know what is explicitly stated, draw logical inferences, and demonstrate these skills by writing a succinct summary using the author’s words and then restating that summary in the student’s own words.

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Summary: Students will draw upon the visual and textual data presented in photographs and documents to gain an understanding of how the federal school lunch program is a direct result of the Great Depression, how it became a permanent part of the federal budget, and how the program has changed over its history. Students will analyze records from the Great Depression era, explore the concept of supply and demand, and consider its impact on commodity prices.

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Summary: How did the passage of the 1935 Social Security Act transform the role the federal government plays in the lives of the American people? This lesson engages students in the debate over Social Security. Students will be able to describe the reasoning of the Roosevelt Administration in creating this act; assess the arguments that were made to support and oppose the act; understand and analyze the ways in which the Social Security Act changed the role of the federal government in...

Summary: This activity presents students with a 1937 letter written by newspaper publisher Frank Gannett opposing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's plan to "reorganize the judiciary." Students will read and analyze this letter to understand Gannett's perspective on this controversial issue. At the conclusion, a discussion with students highlights the Supreme Court interpretation of the law, President nomination and Senate approval of justices, and “life during good behavior” term for...

Summary: The New Deal was, and continues to be, controversial. Some view it as a revolution that has forever changed the relationship between the federal government and the people. Others view it as a reform to help fix a system that was broken. Students will carefully analyze primary source documents about the New Deal, then consider the definitions of revolution and reform,and decide whether each primary source document reflects the New Deal as a revolution or a reform. After reading the...

Summary: In 1932, the United States was in the depths of the Great Depression with the government struggling on the best way to intervene when Franklin Roosevelt won a landslide victory in the presidential election, promising a "new deal" for Americans. In this lesson, students will learn about the creation of the New Deal, its impact on the Great Depression and the economy, as well as its legacy on the role of the government in the lives of Americans.

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NJ. Student Learning Standards for Social Studies:

Link to Lesson: Lesson coming soon