Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Public Enemy #1

For Students 9th - 10th
Companion website for the PBS documentary on the crime spree of John Dillinger, an infamous gangster. Included are a transcript of the film, biographies of people in the film, pictures of gangsters of the era, and a teacher's guide for...
Activity
Ibis Communications

Eyewitness to History: America in the 1930s: Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
This history of the Great Depression looks at its effect on American citizens, including the changes to women's societal roles. Includes photographs.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Documenting America: Tenant Farmers

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: The Road to Emerald City Is Paved With Good Intentions

For Teachers 9th - 10th
'The Wizard of Oz' is perhaps the most popular film ever made. Generations of families have enjoyed this classic tale of Dorothy's struggle to return home from a faraway land. What is not well known, however, is that 'The Wonderful...
Primary
The History Place

The History Place: Dorothea Lange: Migrant Farm Families

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the history of migrant workers in America by viewing the work of Dorothea Lange, one of the most famous photographers of the Great Depression.
Website
Other

Woody Guthrie: The People's Troubador

For Students 9th - 10th
The story of Woody Guthrie, the folk musician who wrote the score for the 1930s and the Great Depression.
Website
Other

Amistad Digital Resource: The Scottsboro Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
Narrative examines the notorious trials of the Scottsboro Boys from 1931 through 1937 giving details about the prosecution, in Scottsboro, Alabama, of nine young African Americans charged with the rape of two white women. The trials...
Article
University of Oxford (UK)

American National Biography Online: Depressions, Economic

For Students 9th - 10th
Depressions are sustained troughs in the business cycle characterized by declines in output, employment, income, and trade. While they date from the earliest years of American history, little is known about them from the Colonial Era....
Graphic
US National Archives

Nara: Picturing the Century: The Great Depression and the New Deal

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Archives and Records Administration, provides this article with historic photographs of people and places in the 1930s.
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Bound for Glory

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Handout
Other

Lincoln City Libraries: Nebraska's Federal Writers Project

For Students 9th - 10th
Rudolph Umland's writing, correspondence, and scrapbooks offer revealing portraits of life in Depression era Nebraska, and a uniquely well-documented insider's view of the local literary community and the Nebraska Federal Writers' Project.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Why It Happened

For Students 9th - 10th
How did a country with such a booming economy in the 1920s sink into economic disaster in the 1930s? Prosperity was just an illusion. See the many causes of the Great Depression, and find out how all the signs were missed or disregarded.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Esperanza Rising: Learning Not to Be Afraid to Start Over

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this lesson young scholars will explore some of the contrasts that Esperanza experiences when she suddenly is forced to leave the life of a wealthy landowner's daughter surrounded by servants to become a servant herself among an...
Handout
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Fbi: Famous Cases and Criminals: Bonnie and Clyde

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Website
Other

California Historical Society: California History Online

For Students 9th - 10th
With over four hundred original images, this site covers periods in California's history from 1600 to the 1930s. Topics covered include the geography and climate of California, early aboriginal groups, the first European explorers, the...
Graphic
Curated OER

America in the 1930s: The Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
Well-rounded and succinctly-worded site that focuses on how the Great Depression affected the more vulnerable segments of society, particularly working families, women, and minorities. A good site for giving students a quick overview of...
Graphic
Curated OER

America in the 1930s: The Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
Well-rounded and succinctly-worded site that focuses on how the Great Depression affected the more vulnerable segments of society, particularly working families, women, and minorities. A good site for giving students a quick overview of...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: How Dorothea Lange and John Steinbeck Captured California

For Students 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about how photographer Dorothea Lange and author John Steinbeck portrayed life in California in the late 1930's. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in...
Primary
California Digital Library

Calisphere: Great Depression

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Unit Plan
Department of Defense

Do Dea: Ap Us History: Unit 7: Facing Challenges at Home and Abroad

For Students 9th - 10th
This extensive learning module examines the role of economic fluctuations in creating new demands on the government to design reforms and how the United States became a dominant military, political, cultural, and economic force in the...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Dust Bowl Days

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Seven-lesson collection of lessons and suggested activities for instructing early learners about the Dust Bowl using a variety of primary sources (songs, letters, photos, etc.).
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Father Divine

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Father Divine, a prominent African-American religious leader of the 1930s. The Depression-era movement he founded, the Peace Mission, was originally dismissed as a cult, but it still...
Graphic
Curated OER

America in the 1930s: The Bonus Army

For Students 9th - 10th
Vivid and succinct account of the efforts and struggles of WWI veterans who marched on Washtington D.C. to demand their veterans' benefits. Article does a nice job describing their forced dispersement by the army, which strained the...
Graphic
Curated OER

America in the 1930s: The Bonus Army

For Students 9th - 10th
Vivid and succinct account of the efforts and struggles of WWI veterans who marched on Washtington D.C. to demand their veterans' benefits. Article does a nice job describing their forced dispersement by the army, which strained the...