American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Franklin D. Roosevelt: Fireside Chat on Banking
Read the text of Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chat on March 12, 1933, just days after he was inaugurated for first term, in which he explained the reasoning behind his declaration of a bank holiday.
George Eastman Museum
Photographs of the Great Depression
These images walk a fine line between documentary photography and propaganda. Nonetheless, they tell a story of a dark period in American history.
ibiblio
Ibiblio: Herbert Hoover
This site from ibiblio.org gives extensive biographical information on Herbert Hoover based on the collection in the Herbert Hoover Museum.
ibiblio
Ibiblio: Herbert Hoover the Basics
This site is a compilation of the captions that appear in the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. What results is a thorough look at Hoover's life. Divided into nine parts to make navigation easier. Also includes fact sheet for general...
Curated OER
History Matters: "One Third of a Nation": Fdr's Second Inaugural Address
Read and listen to Franklin D. Roosevelt's second inaugural address where he points out the problems and progress made in his previous four years. He goes on to lay out his plans for his next term.
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.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Dust Bowl Days
Seven-instructional activity collection of lessons and suggested activities for instructing early learners about the Dust Bowl using a variety of primary sources (songs, letters, photos, etc.).
George Washington University
Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project: National Youth Administration
A good overview of the National Youth Administration and its goals in helping young people during the Great Depression. Of interest is the information on how invested Eleanor Roosevelt was in the development of the program.
Cosmo Learning
Cosmo Learning: The Truth About American History
Consisting of ten video lectures taught by Professor Thomas Woods, this virtual course attempts to cover the material in his books but also fill in many details that defend the Jeffersonian-Rothbardian perspective. Here is the cutting...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Prosperity: Crash
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...
University of Illinois
University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Langston Hughes
If you are looking for biographical information on Langston Hughes and/or excerpts and reviews of his work, this site is a bonanza! The table of contents makes it easy to click to the section you want.
University of Washington
The Great Depression in Washington State: Hoovervilles and Homelessness
Information about the Hoovervilles in Seattle, Washington, and surrounding cities during the Great Depression. Find maps that show the locations of shack towns around the city, and follow hyperlinks that give a deeper look at...
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.
US Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Compensation From Before Wwi Through Great Depression [Pdf]
This interesting article from the Bureau of Labor Statistics discusses how working conditions and low pay prior to World War I led to the increase in union membership. Read how the government viewed labor and labor unions during World...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Mac Arthur: The Bonus March (May July, 1932)
As part of the American Experience film on General MacArthur, this article explains the plight of the World War I veterans who marched on Washington in 1932 to claim their war bonus--which they needed due to the Great Depression--only to...
The History Place
The History Place: The Rise of Adolf Hitler
The History Place looks at the rise of the German dictator Adolf Hitler.
US National Archives
Our Documents: National Industrial Recovery Act (1933)
Along with an image of the first page of the National Industrial Recovery Act is an excellent description of what it entailed and the high hopes of improving the economy its passing engendered. You can also read about the opposition to...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Riding the Rails: Timeline of the Great Depression
This timeline of the Depression begins in October of 1929 and highlights significant statistics or events, sometimes month by month, through November of 1940 when Roosevelt is re-elected for his third term. From bank collapses to dust...
Other
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston: Closed for the Holiday [Pdf]
"Closed for the Holiday" is an excellent account of the consequential events of the Great Depression focusing on the Stock Market Crash of 1929 as the beginning of the Great Depression, and ending with the emergency bank actions Franklin...
Tom Richey
Tom Richey: Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression (1920 1939)
Getting back to the daily grind after World War I led to an age of consumerism and wealth which created an entirely different culture of affluence in the United States until Black Tuesday in 1929. Find lessons, videos, slideshows, and...
New Deal Network
The New Deal and the Negro: A Look at the Facts
Detailed essay discussing the socio-economic status of African Americans during the Great Drepression. Includes tables of employment and relief statistics.
New Deal Network
New Deal Network: The Great Depression: 1930s and the Roosevelt Administration
The New Deal Network is devoted to students and teachers researching the Great Depression and the New Deal. Features include an extensive database of photographs, political cartoons, texts and a New Deal Network Classroom that has lesson...
New Deal Network
New Deal Network: The Nation: Relief With Both Mind and Heart
A 1934 article from "The Nation" about relief efforts in Milwaukee, with several paragraphs on the Civil Works Administration programs. A great resource for attitudes of the time.
PBS
Pbs: Brother Can You Spare a Billion? The Story of Jesse H. Jones
Companion website to the PBS documentary on Jesse H. Jones, real estate mogul, activist for the Red Cross, head of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, and Secretary of Commerce. Read about how he served his nation under President...