Era 11: The Great Depression and World War II: World War II (1929–1945)

Summary: In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined the "Four Freedoms." To represent these ideals, Norman Rockwell created paintings which became highly successful promotional posters for World War II war bonds. In this lesson, students will identify Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms"; consider the relevance of these ideals in today’s society; assess the artistic interpretation of each freedom by Norman Rockwell; and explain the connection between Rockwell’s...

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Summary: Students explore New Jersey’s significant role in World War II. Students will identify the contribution of military and industrial sites in New Jersey; use primary source documents to evaluate and compare and contrast the social and economic opportunities and contribution of women and African-Americans in New Jersey, before, during, and after the war. Finally, students will compare the opportunities and contributions in New Jersey with in other states/regions.

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Summary: In this lesson, students use economic data and wartime propaganda to learn important lessons about resource scarcity on the World War II home front. Using a gallery walk, students analyze propaganda techniques to increase resources for the war effort and reallocate resources from production of consumer goods to military goods. Then, students use a production possibilities frontier (PPF) to discuss how countries allocated resources between “guns” and “butter.” Students analyze several...

Summary: In this lesson, students will analyze primary sources and evaluate the degree to which they demonstrate Civil Rights advances following President Roosevelt's 1941 Executive Order providing equal opportunity in defense industries, and establishment of the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC). Students will place documents on a scale according to their weight as evidence of advancement or ineffectiveness of the FEPC. They will then formulate their own position on the...

Summary: In 1942, over 100,000 individuals of Japanese origin or descent were forced from their homes and incarcerated. Their detention was federally mandated. However, a federal investigation in the early 1980s concluded that Japanese Americans posed no military threat. In this lesson, students investigate a series of primary documents to address the question: Why did the United States government incarcerate Japanese Americans during World War II?

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Summary: This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court’s decision that determined the government acted constitutionally when it detained people of Japanese ancestry inside internment camps during World War II. Students learn what internment camps were, the background behind the government’s decision to detain those of Japanese ancestry, and the reasons the government upheld that decision. They also learn how the issue has re-emerged with regard to those of Middle Eastern descent...

Summary: In a three-day lesson, students will research, role-play, and assess the momentous decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Before the lesson, students in groups of 2-4 should research cabinet positions in the Truman administration. Each group will represent one cabinet official and their staff. Then, on Day One, students role-play a cabinet meeting advising President Harry S. Truman on the decision to drop the bomb. At the end of the class the student playing President Truman comes to...