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TEACHER’S GUIDE
Follow-up Activities
• Break students into two groups and ask one group to research the fiscal
economic philosophy of John Maynard Keynes, and another to research
the monetarist economic philosophy of Milton Friedman.Ask students to
evaluate the role of Keynesian economics on the first and second New
Deal, and to debate whether a monetarist approach might have brought
about a quicker end to the Great Depression.
• Huey Long and Father Coughlin were two popular political leaders of
the 1930s.Assign some groups of students to research the philosophy
and strategy of Long, and others to analyze the beliefs and tactics of
Coughlin. Then, ask students to “face off” in an imaginary dialogue
between the two historical figures.After the exercise, students may write
a summary of what they learned from their “opponent.”
• The Social Security Act,Wagner Act and Fair Labor Standards Act are considered the most far-reaching of Roosevelt’s New Deal reforms. Read the
original versions of these Acts and discuss their historical intent and continuing effects on the lives of average Americans.As a follow-up, ask students to write editorials evaluating these programs from a modern
perspective.
• President Roosevelt had a very personable radio style, and his “Fireside
Chats” endeared him to millions of Americans who believed he was
acting in their best interests. Break students into small groups and ask
each group to listen to and summarize the content of one of Roosevelt’s
radio addresses.Ask each group to critically analyze their speech’s mood,
tone and organization of thought, and to speculate about the impact it
had on its Depression-era audience. Students may then share their
findings with the class.A number of Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” may be
found at this Web site: www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/firesi90.html
• After farmers tore up the grasslands of the Great Plains in the process of
transforming thousands of square miles into productive farmland, a
severe drought ravaged the area, turning the region into the Dust Bowl.
Ask students to draw upon oral histories and other primary sources to
analyze the reasons for and the effects of the Dust Bowl on farmers and
their families. Based on the information gathered, ask each student to
write a brief biography on a family or individual who lived at this time.
The Library of Congress has compiled a wealth of primary research
material on the Dust Bowl era at this Web site: memory.loc.gov/
ammem/afctshtml/tshome.html
TEACHER’S GUIDE
• www.ssa.gov/history/epic.html
The Social Security Administration provides the full text of Upton Sinclair’s
“Plan to End Poverty in California.”
• www.georgemeany.org/archives/apr.html
The George Meany Center for Labor Studies presents an exhibit on A.
Philip Randolph, an influential African-American civil rights activist and
union leader.
Suggested Print Resources
• Cohen, Robert. Ed. Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the
Great Depression. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC;
2002.
• Nardo, Don. Ed. The Great Depression. Greenhaven Press, San Diego, CA;
2000.
• Terkel, Studs. Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression. New
Press, New York, NY; 2000.
TM
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
& THE NEW DEAL
Grades 5–12
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Jeffrey W. Litzke, M.Ed.
Curriculum Specialist, Schlessinger Media
Rudolph Lea
Historian
COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES
• Three Worlds Meet (Origins–1620)
• The Era of Colonization (1585–1763)
• Slavery & Freedom
• The American Revolution
• A New Nation (1776–1815)
• Expansionism
• Democracy & Reform
• Causes of the Civil War
• The Civil War
• Reconstruction & Segregation (1865–1910)
• Industrialization & Urbanization
(1870–1910)
• Immigration & Cultural Change
• A Nation in Turmoil
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
• The Progressive Movement
• U.S. & The World (1865–1917)
• The Great War
• The Roaring Twenties
• The Great Depression
& The New Deal
• World War II
• Post-War U.S.A.
• The Cold War
• Civil Rights
• The Vietnam War
• The Middle East
• U.S. Politics (1960–1980)
• U.S. Politics (1980–2000)
800-843-3620
Suggested Internet Resources
Periodically, Internet Resources are updated on our Web site at
www.LibraryVideo.com
• www.loc.gov/rr/print/128_migm.html
The Library of Congress’ Prints and Photographs division offers several of
Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” photographs from the Farm Security
Administration Collection.
(Continued)
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
Teacher’s Guide Copyright 2003 by Schlessinger Media,
a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580,Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
D6778
Program Copyright 1996, 2003 by Schlessinger Media
V7018
Executive Producer:Andrew Schlessinger
Original production produced and directed by Invision Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
T
his guide is a supplement designed for teachers
to use when presenting programs in the United
States History series.
Before Viewing: Give students an introduction
to the topic by relaying aspects of the program
summary to them. Select pre-viewing discussion
questions and vocabulary to provide a focus for
students when they view the program.
After Viewing: Review the program and vocabulary, and use the follow-up activities to inspire
continued discussion. Encourage students to
research the topic further with the Internet and
print resources provided.
This program correlates to the following
Prentice Hall textbooks:
The American Nation: Chapter 26
America: Pathways to the Present: Chapters 12 and 13
Program Summary
The prosperity of the Roaring Twenties ended as the Stock Market Crash of
1929 ushered in one of the worst economic depressions in history.Although
the causes of the Great Depression were clear to many, solutions to problems
such as high unemployment and extreme poverty proved to be elusive.
President Herbert Hoover tried to alleviate some of the suffering, but his
traditional methods did nothing to improve economic conditions.
The 1932 presidential election brought Franklin D. Roosevelt to the White
House. He promised a “New Deal” to the American people and embarked on a
course to restore confidence in the nation’s financial system and to get
people back to work.The programs of the Roosevelt administration sought to
bring relief to all segments of the economy and were quickly passed by
Congress. President Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” convinced the American
people he was on their side and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt became known
as a tireless advocate of the poor and downtrodden.
The decisions of the Supreme Court to declare key measures of the first New
Deal unconstitutional were severe blows to the Roosevelt Administration’s
plan.Also, conservative Americans lobbied against what they saw as the New
Deal’s reckless spending and socialist reforms, while more radical New Deal
critics questioned the viability of American capitalism and embraced socialist
or even communist solutions to the economic crisis.
Roosevelt launched the second New Deal that included key legislation like
the Social Security Act and the Wagner Act which made long and lasting
changes to the nation. After his landslide reelection in 1936, Roosevelt’s
attempt to pack the Supreme Court with supporters of his New Deal policies
failed and the stubborn ravages of the Depression led to new attempts to
bring relief through increased federal spending.
Eventually, the need to rearm for World War II brought an end to the Great
Depression and solidified the reforms of the New Deal. Its legacy would be
the assumption of responsibility by the federal government for the health of
the economy and for the welfare of its people.
Time Line
1920s — The United States enjoys an unprecedented economic boom.
1928 — Herbert Hoover is elected president.
1929 — The stock market collapses.
1931 — Several unemployed men are killed in protests at Ford’s River
Rouge plant.
1932 — The unemployment rate in the United States reaches approximately
25%.
1932 — Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president.
1933 — The first New Deal legislation begins to be enacted.
1934 — Great Plains dust storms blow soil as far east as Washington, D.C.
1934 — The Supreme Court rules the National Industrial Recovery Act
unconstitutional.
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(Continued)
1935 — The second New Deal begins.
1935 — The Social Security Act is signed into law.
1936 — President Roosevelt is reelected.
1938 — Congress authorizes federal deficit spending to stimulate the struggling economy.
1940 — President Roosevelt is elected to an unprecedented third term.
Vocabulary
Roaring Twenties — A term used to describe the economic boom of the
1920s.
Stock market crash (1929) — The precipitous decline of the stock
market on October 29, 1929 that ushered in one of the worst economic
depressions in history.
Great Depression — The time period from around 1929 to 1939 in
which many people suffered from extreme poverty as a result of high
unemployment.
Hoovervilles — A derogatory name given to Depression-era shacks where
poor people lived when Herbert Hoover was president.
trickle down theory — An economic theory that states when taxes are
cut for business owners, money will eventually trickle down to the poor in
the form of new jobs.
“Blue Eagle” codes — Controversial measures taken by the National
Recovery Administration to help businesses. The Blue Eagle was the
symbol of the NRA, which was often criticized for discriminatory rules
against African Americans.
Commerce Clause — The power given to the federal government to
regulate commerce between the states, but not within the states.
American Liberty League Organization — A group formed by business leaders and by the wealthy to fight against the reforms of the New Deal.
Communist Party — A radical political party that questioned the system
of capitalism and attracted support in America during the Great
Depression.
second New Deal — A new set of New Deal relief measures enacted in
1935, chief of which was the Social Security Act.
Social Security Act — Far reaching legislation of the New Deal that provided a federal old age and unemployment insurance system.
National Labor Relations Act — Also called the Wagner Act, a New
Deal law passed in 1935 that required companies to bargain with unions
chosen by the workers.
court-packing — An unsuccessful attempt by President Roosevelt to
increase the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent
having New Deal measures declared unconstitutional.
Fair Labor Standards Act — One of the last New Deal laws passed in
1938 to set a national minimum wage and maximum work week hours.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) — A U.S. Government
Agency formed by Congress to give financial aid to banks and businesses and
to support public works projects during the Depression.
first New Deal — Name given to the set of laws initiated by President
Roosevelt in 1933 and 1934 to fight the Depression.
National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) — The first of the New Deal
measures enacted to help businesses recover from the Depression.The Act
created a new administrative bureau called the National Recovery
Administration, or NRA.
Dust Bowl — The calamitous soil erosion caused by the removal of grasslands and severe droughts that ruined many farms and farmers in the Great
Plains in the 1930s.
Agricultural Adjustment Administration — A government agency
formed during the New Deal to give aid to struggling farmers.
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) — A New Deal agency formed to
put young unemployed men to work on federal conservation projects.
Works Progress Administration (WPA) — A New Deal agency formed
to put the unemployed to work on federal projects.
“Black Cabinet” — A group of leaders consulted by Eleanor Roosevelt
about issues of unemployment and poverty among African Americans during
the Depression.
(Continued)
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Pre-viewing Discussion
• What was the Great Depression? Ask students to offer their thoughts and
opinions about the causes and effects of this economic disaster.
• Ask students to describe what for them would have been the most
difficult part of living during the Great Depression.
• What is the stock market? Ask students to discuss what they know about
this important part of America’s economy, and to describe how it
impacts everyday people.
Follow-up Discussion
• Ask students to explain the concept of buying on margin. How did this
method of buying stocks help bring about the stock market crash?
Students may compare the 1929 crash to other stock market plunges in
history.
• How did President Roosevelt and President Hoover differ in their
approaches to dealing with the Great Depression? Ask students to
compare their philosophies and leadership styles during the Great
Depression.
• President Calvin Coolidge’s Secretary of the Treasury,Andrew Mellon, a
wealthy Pittsburgh banker, advocated tax cuts for the rich in the 1920s.
What were the effects of this policy on the economy?
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