The Great Depression and the New Deal

What was life like in the 1930s? The class will be divided into seven equal groups. Six of the groups will research the experiences of a specific group of people affected by the Great Depression and one group will assume the role of a New Deal program administrator.

People Affected by Depression Expert Groups (6)

Each group will research the experiences of one of the following groups.

The following sites may be helpful:

The focus of your research should be:

1. What was life like for your group of people in the 1930s?
2. How did the New Deal affect the lives of these people?

New Deal Expert Group (1)

The seventh group will become experts on the New Deal measures: WPA (Works Progress Administration), CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act), FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), NRA (National Recovery Administration), Social Security, bank recovery, TVA/CBRP (Tennessee Valley Authority/Columbia Reclamation Project).

The focus of your efforts should be:

1. What were Roosevelt's goals in introducing the various programs of the New Deal? What did he see as the solution to the country's problems?
2. Investigate how New Deal programs affected the above mentioned groups during the Depression.

These collections of short summaries will be combined into a documentary on the New Deal Era and its impact on the people of the United States. Creativity should be used in presenting each point of view. Would you watch this show?

To demonstrate an understanding of their theme, each group will find a photograph from the Great Depression that illustrates the group´s identity.

Using the photograph, you will create a dialogue, soliloquy, letter, or fictional memoir based on the people in the photographs. These writings need to reflect your understanding of your group's character within the context of the Depression. This information will be presented to the class. Each group will contribute a 5 minute (approximate) segment to the show.

This group needs to provide a brief summary of the effectiveness of three prominent New Deal programs from the point of view of its program administrator.

Your summary (graphic organizer) should include the following: answers to questions a, b, & c and a variety of photographs, quotes, speeches, etc.

1. What problem needed to be solved?
2. How was New Deal legislation intended to address the problem?
3. Was the program successful?

Additional Sources of Information related to the Great Depression and New Deal:

Viewing Guides for various resources, it is not required that you use these, but they may help you to uncover some of the subtleties of the time.