The stock market crash of 1929 led to a downward economic spiral. Businesses failed and unemployment reached 24% in 1932. Farmers lost their land and states like Oklahoma and Arkansas suffered from drought. Homeless Americans rode the rails, living in hobo camps. Franklin Roosevelt was elected President in 1932, declaring in his first inaugural speech that Americans had "nothing to fear, but fear itself." His New Deal called for government action to put people back to work and help them during Hard Times. The Civilian Conservation Corps gave people governemt jobs working on conservation projects and the Works Project Adminstration began a series of government building projects.
Reading
Presentations
Video
- Dorothea Lange’s Depression Photography - PBS
- Migrant Mother Photo - PBS
- The Dust Bowl - PBS
Music
- Do Re Mi by Woody Guthrie
- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? lyrics by Yip Harbug
- Happy Days are Here Again by Ben Selvin and the Crooners
Activities
- Depression Photos
- Alphabet Soup Organizer
- Alphabet Soup Poster
- New Deal Cartoon
- New Deal Cartoon Analysis
- A History Hunt - Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal
- What did you learn about the Great Depression?