Digital History
Digital History: Keynes and the Multiplier [Pdf]
John Maynard Keynes was an English economist who had definite ideas on how to end the Great Depression. Read about his economic theories and see whether Franklin Roosevelt followed his advice. Charts show information about the country's...
Digital History
Digital History: President Roosevelt and the Wpa [Pdf]
Franklin Roosevelt had to deal with the Great Depression quickly when he became president in 1932. Read about the early New Deal legislation, how the money was spent, and who administered the programs. Find out about the Works Progress...
Library of Congress
Loc: Migration During the Great Depression: Living History
Most people in Central Florida came from somewhere else. Students first analyze life histories from American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 to learn oral history techniques. They then interview...
Library of Congress
Loc: Immigration and Migration:today/during the Great Depression
Students address these questions through activities using oral history methods and investigating life in the 1930s. They compare the immigration/migration experiences of their families to those of people living through the Great...
Library of Congress
Loc: Found Poetry With Primary Sources: The Great Depression
Students explore poetry using American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 collection of American Memory, which covers personal stories collected by the Works Progress Administration. In particular,...
Library of Congress
Loc: The Great Depression in North Carolina: Experiences
This lesson plan will result in imaginary Works Progress Administration (WPA) interviews similar to those found in American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 of the Library of Congress that...
Digital History
Digital History: Legacy of the New Deal
This is just a short article, but it includes big ideas. See the lasting legacy of the New Deal as the many of the programs begun at that time are still a large part of American government and life.
Digital History
Digital History: Hollywood During the Great Depression
One can trace the cynicism and despair at the beginning of the Great Depression to a more optimistic point of view by the end of the New Deal by looking at the movies produced by Hollywood. Read about the subject matter of the movies...
Digital History
Digital History: Wagner Act
Read about the growth of labor unions during the 1930s as the Great Depression continued, due to the passage of the Wagner Act. Find out about the strikes and the conflict between labor and management, as well as conflict within the...
Digital History
Digital History: President Hoover
President Herbert Hoover spent his life in public service, and was a very intelligent man, but he was not able to see the problems caused by the Great Depression. Read about his comments and presidential actions in dealing with this...
Digital History
Digital History: The Human Toll
The Great Depression took a terrible toll on individuals and families. Read about the massive unemployment, ways people tried to survive, and the subtle change in people's attitudes toward the role of government in helping its citizens.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath": The Inner Chapters
In this lesson plan, students will consider "John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath": The Inner Chapters." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Book Files: Out of the Dust
"Out of the Dust", a Newbery Award Winning, poetic book by Karen Hesse. The heroine, Billie Joe, faces issues of forgiveness and healing during the Dust Bowl. The story is set in Oklahoma, during the Great Depression. Make a smart choice...
US National Archives
Nara: A New Deal for the Arts
Some of the New Deal programs during the Great Depression were designed to support artists and the arts. This National Archives and Records Administration site explores the products of the time period.
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Fdr's First Inaugural Address
Features background on FDR and his platform for dealing with the Great Depression. Included are primary source documents of his first inaugural address and photos related to his New Deal programs.
US National Archives
Nara: A New Deal for the Arts: Rediscovering America
As part of the artistic nationalism that took place during the Great Depression, this website from the National Archives and Records Administration focuses on many American scenes. Lots of focus on small-town life and various regions.
US National Archives
Nara: A New Deal for the Arts Activist Arts
The turbulence of the Great Depression is reflected in these images of workers in artwork from the NARA on this site.
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Erskine Caldwell (1903 1987)
This detailed biography site includes a brief analysis of the writer's work, as well as a list of suggested readings.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Public Enemy #1
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...
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Expore Pa History: Pa and the Great Depression: Public Works and Organized Labor
A good look at how the Great Depression affected Pennsylvania. See how New Deal legislation brought relief to the unemployed in Pennsylvania after 1936.
US Department of the Treasury
U.s. Department of the Treasury: History: Andrew W. Mellon (1921 1932)
The Department of Treasury's page on Andrew Mellon. He was Secretary of the Treasury under several presidents.
University of California
History Project: The Bonus Army in Washington
In this high school lesson plan, students will analyze twenty-two primary source documents then answer questions pertaining to the "bonus marchers" in Washington in the summer of 1932.
PBS
The First Measured Century: Measurements and Myths of the Great Depression
This fascinating transcript from a PBS special about numbers in the 20th century focuses on people and how they were affected by the Great Depression in terms of employment, agriculture, and even marriage rates. Be sure to click on the...
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: A Brief Explanation of the Social Security Act
The Social Security Act was brought into law in 1935. This booklet was published by the government in 1935 to explain how the Act worked.