John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Migrant Workers Through the Lens of Dorothea Lange
Using song lyrics and Dorothea Lange's photographs, students will explore the hardships migrant workers faced during the Great Depression.
Curated OER
History Matters: Deaf and Unemployed in Dubuque
Read this poignant interview, transcribed by a WPA worker, in which a deaf couple describes the hardships they encountered during the Great Depression, compounded because of their disability.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: A Photo Essay on the Great Depression
Series of annotated photographs that document the realities of Depression-era America.
Other
Bringing History Home: The Great Depression
This 4th grade unit introduces basic concepts of the Great Depression of the 1930s, and to historical analysis processes. Following a trade book and video documentary overview of the 1920s and 1930s, students examine photos, letters,...
University of Washington
University of Washington: The Great Depression in Washington State
This comprehensive and well-organized resource walks students through the Great Depression using concise summaries, pictures, and many primary source documents.
University of Washington
University of Washington: Economics and Poverty
Each state felt the ramifications of the Great Depression in different ways. Learn how Washington dealt with the unemployed in their state and how the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped in...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Radicalism
Students can study detailed histories, illustrated research reports, photographs, documents, and maps to explore the various forms of radicalism that surfaced during Washington's Great Depression.
Other
University of California: Hard Times
Lesson in which students analyze primary source photos and answer questions based on photos and informational text to learn about life during the Great Depression.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Riding the Rails
Stories of homeless teenagers during the Great Depression who crisscrossed the country by illegally riding on trains. Click on the sidebar for information about the film "Riding the Rails" available from PBS, including a transcript of...
Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association: The Great Depression
Read about the economy and politics in Texas during the time of the Great Depression.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Dust Bowl Exodus: How Drought and the Depression Took Their Toll
Activity-based resource on the social and economic conditions of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Students select from a list of comprehensive reference material to research the times and then choose a 1930s artist on which to report....
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Fbi: Famous Cases and Criminals: Bonnie and Clyde
A detailed account of the background, crimes and capture of famous criminals Clyde Champion Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Links to the FBI's archives featuring remarkable primary documents relating to the couple's misdeeds.
Other
Ohio Department of Aging: War Era Story Project
This resource provides first hand accounts and information about Ohio during the War Era and Great Depression.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Evaluate Tone in Various Media for Audiences and Purposes
This lesson will help you evaluate changes in formality and tone within printed texts written for specific audiences and purposes. It focuses on writing produced during the Great Depression. RL.9-10.4 Word choice, Tone
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Great Depression 1929 1932: The Depths of the Great Depression
Examines the challenges faced by the average American, by African Americans, and by farmers on the Great Plains during the Great Depression, and the government's response or lack thereof.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: A Photo Dossier on Sharecropping
Photographs from the 1930s of both black and white sharecroppers, with some accompanying explanation.
Wessels Living History Farm
Living History Farm: Farming in the 1930s
During the hard economic times of the 1930s, farm families turned to low-cost entertainment such as barn dances. By listening to personal stories, discover what farm life was like during the Great Depression.
Library of Congress
Loc: Documenting America: Tenant Farmers
This resource on America during the Great Depression contains photographs of tenant farmers and their communities during the 1930's, taken by photographer Arthur Rothstein. Also includes information on the time period.
Library of Congress
Loc: Bound for Glory
A fascinating look at American life from 1939 to 1943 through photographs. The buildings, cars, clothing, and stores are very different from today. This is an excellent way to get a feel for the turn of the decade -- from the Depression...
California Digital Library
Calisphere: Great Depression
A broad selection of photographs taken during the Great Depression can be found on this site by Calisphere. By clicking on individual images you'll find high quality photographs and image information.
Curated OER
History Matters: A Woman Remembers Hoboes of the 1930s
Audio and text version of interview with a woman recalling her experience helping hoboes during the 1930s.
Curated OER
History Matters: Unemployed Councils of the 1930s
This account by Communist activist Anna Taffler details her activities working with the Communist-led Unemployment Councils of the 1930s. These organizations worked in hundreds of local communities to demand jobs and better treatment...
Curated OER
History Matters: The Great Depression in Iowa
From a book, The Great Depression, by David Shannon, you can read an interview administered by the Works Progress Administration detailing the struggle of an Iowa family through the trying times of the Great Depression.
Curated OER
History Matters: Donners Recall the Great Depression
This description of a family in Dubuque, Iowa was part of a 1935 WPA sponsored project devoted to documenting the experiences of people during the Depression. From the book, The Great Depression, by David Shannon.