The Great Depression in America

On October 29, 1929, the New York stock market crashed, heralding the onset of the Great Depression. By 1933, between 12 and 15 million workers were unemployed. What were conditions really like in the cities? What problems did the farmers face? How was the discontent of the nation manifested? Through the use of historical documents such as newspapers, photographs, flyers, and posters, students will experience the fear, discouragement, futility, and anger of Americans as they attempted to survive the black days of the Depression. Students will also learn how Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies started to turn things around, and how these policies shifted power and control from big business to the federal government. This portfolio offers comprehensive Reproducible Student Activities, which include vocabulary, writing, research, and creative thinking exercises, and a teacher's response key. A timeline summarizes important dates of the Great Depression, and a recommended reading allows for further topic exploration. 4 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * The Stock Market Crash * The Great Depression: In the Towns and on the Farms * The People Protest * The Depression Changes the United States 12 Primary Source Documents: * Page 1 of Variety, Wednesday, October 30, 1929 * The Depression: A Family Album * Sign: "Unemployed, Buy Apples 5 cents Each" * Depression Scrip * A&P Advertising Flyer, 1933 * Auction Sale Poster for Farm Equipment, North Dakota, 1933 * Page 1 of The Emporia Gazette, May 11, 1934 * Photo Sequence: A Kansas Dust Storm * Page 1 of The Daily Worker, Monday January 27, 1930 * Broadside: "Veterans March to Washington," 1932 * Campaign Flyer: "Closing-Out Sale of the G.O.P. Party," 1932 * Poster: "NRA: We Do Our Part"