Lesson Plan
Internal Revenue Service

Understanding Taxes: The Social Security Act of 1935

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This very complete lesson plan explains the history of the Social Security Act of 1935, its history and importance to the elderly during the Great Depression, and its importance today. Everything necessary to teach the lesson plan and...
Lesson Plan
Internal Revenue Service

Understanding Taxes : The Wealth Tax of 1935 and the Victory Tax of 1942

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan from the Internal Revenue Service gives the history of the progressive income tax which helped fund the social programs implemented during the Great Depression, and the war effort after the country joined the Allies in...
Handout
US Department of State

Info Usa: Foreign Trade and Global Economic Policies

For Students 9th - 10th
U.S. foreign trade and global economic policies have changed direction dramatically during the more than two centuries that the United States has been a country. In the early days of the nation's history, government and business mostly...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: America by Air: Airline Expansion and Innovation

For Students 9th - 10th
Air travel grew in the 1920s and 1930s despite the Great Depression. Read about the new commercial airlines of the time and what it was like to fly at the dawn of commercial passenger flight.
Handout
Oklahoma Historical Society

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture: National Youth Administration

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the goals of the National Youth Administration and the educational camps it funded during the Great Depression.
Primary
Teaching American History

Teaching American History: Commonwealth Club Address

For Students 9th - 10th
An address by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 was delivered to win over the American people on the premise of economic security during the tremendous strife brought about by the Great Depression.
Primary
Teaching American History

Teaching American History: Franklin D. Roosevelt: Campaign Speech

For Students 9th - 10th
FDR delivers a campaign speech as Election Day draws near in 1932. He addresses domestic issues that must be addressed as the nation experiences the impact of the Great Depression.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of the u.s: New Deal

For Students 6th - 8th
Read about Franklin Roosevelt's background, his political experience before he was elected president in 1932, and his actions to help the people of the United States in the grips of the Great Depression.
Primary
University of North Carolina

Documenting the American South: North Carolina Emergency Relief Administration

For Students 9th - 10th
An electronic edition of a very interesting, though dense, book written in 1936 as a record of the activies of the Emergency Relief Adminstration in North Carolina. The book begins with a look at how relief for the indigent was provided...
Website
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: The New Deal

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Read about the New Deal, its programs, and the ways it helped a nation in the grips of the Great Depression. The New Deal was not universally popular, so find out what Franklin Roosevelt did to keep the...
Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Evaluate Tone in Various Media for Different Audiences & Purposes

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
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.
Website
Other

Eh.net: Rural Electrification Administration

For Students 9th - 10th
A very interesting assessment of the success of the Rural Electrication Admininstration in bringing electricity to rural areas that private utilities had been unwilling to service. Read about the results in terms of needed jobs in the...
Unit Plan
Lin and Don Donn

American History Lesson Plans: Fdr's Fireside Chats

For Teachers 5th - 8th
A great lesson plan to examine Franklin D. Roosevelt's first fireside chat and apply the format in explaining a current economic problem.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Shanty Town Facts

For Students 9th - 10th
Facts on Shanty Towns (Hoovervilles)that were makeshift camps set up by the homeless during the Depression.
Graphic
University of Washington

University of Washington: Hoovervilles in Seattle: Map and Photos

For Students 9th - 10th
Shack towns, known as Hoovervilles, housed the homeless during the Great Depression. Use the following pictures and map to visualize what these Hoovervilles looked like and where they were located throughout the state of Washington.
Handout
PublicBookshelf Corporation

The Financial Panic of 1873

For Students 9th - 10th
This excerpt from The Great Republic by the Master Historians, published in the early 1900s, provides a near-contemporary discussion of one of the many financial panics, depressions, and bank runs that plagued the American economy in the...
Website
Other

Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives

For Students 9th - 10th
The consummate resource for extensive information about folk singer Woody Guthrie. Includes a great biography with photos and quotes plus publications, special projects, and events.
Graphic
Curated OER

Migrant Mother, 1936

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Great introduction to Dorothea Lange, one of the greatest photographers of the U.S. Great Depression. This site includes some of her most famous images with background information as to their significance.
Graphic
Curated OER

Eye Witness to History: John Dillinger

For Students 9th - 10th
Quick introduction to one of the more famous American criminals of the Great Depression. Vivid descriptions of his meteoric rise to fame paint the picture of man who lived life dangerously.
Primary
Social Security Administration

Social Security Online: History: Soup Kitchens

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a black and white photo of men outside of a Depression era soup kitchen, with a brief caption underneath.
Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: Life of the People: Realistic Prints & Drawings

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of American prints and drawings from 1912-1948 indicating a sympathy for the condition of working people.
Primary
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: A Photo Dossier on Sharecropping

For Students 9th - 10th
Photographs from the 1930s of both black and white sharecroppers, with some accompanying explanation.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Prosperity: Crash

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Jitterbugs, Swing Kids, and Lindy Hoppers

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore the cultural impact of swing dancing.

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