Era 9: The Great Depression and World War II: The Great Depression (1929–1945)

Summary: The Great Depression was a severe economic depression that began in the United States following the stock market crash in October of 1929 and lasted into the late 1930s. In this lesson, students will learn about the causes and impact of the Great Depression as well as the significance of governmental policies on the crisis.

Overarching Questions:

ECONOMICS: What is the proper role of government in the economy? (Especially with regard to economic crises, national defense/security,...

Summary: In this lesson, students will identify conditions in the economy to learn about the Great Depression. Students will analyze the relationship between increases and decreases in employment and consumer spending; define and identify interdependence within a market economy; describe how the policies of the Federal Reserve System during the 20s and 30s affected the Great Depression.

Overarching Questions:

CIVICS: Have individuals and groups influenced public policy during this time period? If...

Summary: In this simulation, students play the role of families in a small town, trying to deal with the changes in income they experience as a result of the Great Depression. Students are divided into “family” discussion groups and are provided individual role cards and Family Budget worksheets.

Overarching Question:

CIVICS: How well does the government balance individual rights and the common good, including the need to maintain order, safety and a healthy environment, during this time...

Summary: In this lesson, students are given excerpts from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” and categorize the excerpts according to economic problems. After identifying economic problems and FDR’s comments on the problems, students simulate a fireside chat by making a recording for the class. After listening to the recordings, students complete a simple consumer confidence survey concerning their reactions to the recording. To conclude the lesson, students identify and evaluate a...

Summary: This assessment gauges students' ability to source and contextualize a document. Students first listen to an excerpt from an interview with Marianna Costa, a union leader from Paterson, New Jersey. Students then analyze four historical facts and determine which ones can help determine whether Costa’s account of union accomplishments is historically reliable.

Overarching Questions:

ECONOMICS: What is the proper role of government in the economy? (Especially with regard to economic...

Summary: The causes of the Dust Bowl continue to be a contentious topic among historians. At the core of understanding the Dust Bowl is the question of whose fault it was. Was it the result of government policies that encouraged farmers to till land beyond what Mother Nature could bear, or is guilt to be laid at the feet of Mother Nature herself? These documents thrust students into a heated scholarly debate that has hardly abated since this catastrophe first visited our land.

Overarching...

Summary: Several events took place in New Jersey during the 1930s that consumed the American public—the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the Hindenburg disaster, and The War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Students will use their historical thinking skills to examine a wide array of primary and secondary resources to draw conclusions about these events and analyze the overall impact of the media concurrently with the harsh economic conditions of the 1930s.

Overarching Questions:

CIVICS: Have...