1930'S HISTORY AND CULTURE:

A Web Trek for small groups
(updated on 02/24/06)

Conrad A. Albrizio, "The New Deal," placed in the auditorium of the Leonardo Da Vinci Art School, New York. Picture retrieved from Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

BACKGROUND
The 1930s was a very tumultuous time in the history of our country.  The decade began with the Great Depression and ended with WWII.  During this time the country went through many changes economically, politically, and socially.

TASK
Your Task is to explore the listed web resources and answer the accompanying questions.  This Trek will give you insight into some of the major events during the 1930s.

PROCESS/RESOURCES
It will be helpful in completing this Trek if you open up two browser windows and a new document in your word processing program (e.g. Word or WordPerfect.)  Use one Browser window to stay on this WebTrek page, and one to follow the links.  When you get to a link, you can switch back to this page to see what the assignment is.  Then you can write out the answer to the question on the word processing document. 

Work with a partner or in a small group and divide up the labor.  Research your assigned answers and then when your group gets back together, put together one report that everyone signs.  Items G and F go together; you might want to assign G to two people and then they can either divide up the cartoons to be interpreted or else interpret them together.  Each member of the group should explain his or her answers to the other members of the group as you assemble the group report.  You will especially need to pool your knowledge when your group answers the integrating question.

A.    Go to The Great Depression and the New Deal.

  1.  Click on More… and read about the Great Depression.

  2.  Find the picture of the bonus army protestors. Who is fighting in the picture? Why were the protestors desperate? (5 pts)

B.  Read the timeline 1933-1935.   

  Describe four programs established by FDR in 1933, and discuss how they were intended to help relieve the effects of the Depression. (20 pts)

C.  Go to New Deal Photo Gallery. 
   
Find a picture relevant to each of these programs: CCC, TVA, WPA, PWA (construction), NYA, REA. Describe what each picture tells us about the specific program. (30 pts)

D.  Go to Drought and Erosion
                            Picture retrieved from Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

        Find a picture that depicts the drought in the South and Midwest in the 1930s.Describe what that picture shows about the effects of the drought.
     (5 pts)

E.  Read the FDR Second Inaugural Address

    1.  What were some of the problems in the country identified by FDR? (5 pts)

     2.  What did he promise to do to address these problems? (5 pts)

F.   Go to FDR and the Separation of Powers

    Read the "Historical Background" on the issue of the separation of powers, and also read the enclosed document. 
    1.  Why did FDR feel he needed to appoint his personally picked judges to the Supreme Court?
    2.  Why would a president's appointment of judges to the Supreme Court be interpreted as weakening the separation of powers in the
          government of the US?
    3.  Why were people critical of FDR on this issue?
    4.  What was the fear about executive power expressed in the telegram? (20 pts total)

 

G.  Go to FDR Political Cartoons.

For each of the cartoons listed below, explain the meaning of the cartoon based on the "Historical Background" you read in D. above. (40 pts total)

• The Great Emancipator
• Hands of Dictator
• Clones
• Ingenious Quarterback
• No Mandate
• Balsaam's Ass
• Santa Does a Little Thinking
• Will Roosevelt Make Him Drink?

 

H.  Read the Timeline 1936-1940.

           
 Why was FDR elected for a third term? (5 pts)

 

I.    Synthesis Question:

How do you evaluate FDR's actions to bring the country out of the Depression?  Do you feel that he was justified in "stacking" the Supreme Court to carry out his New Deal?  Discuss why or why not taking into account the difficulties faced by the working poor as well as the issue of the separation of powers. (A detailed, logical, argument is worth 40 pts.)

J.   Other Links

    Just for fun browse these sites; you should find them interesting.

• Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression (TV Books, New York, 1999)
   
• Growing up black in the 1930s   
   
• The Jazz Age in KC, 1920-1940  

EVALUATION

For maximum points on each question, your work should:
a.  accurately and completely answer the questions,
b.  be clear and grammatical, typed as a Word document,
and c.  be completed when scheduled.

In addition, the response to the Synthesis Question should be thoughtful and logical--proceeding from a thesis sentence and effectively supported by details.

I will be observing how you work with your group member(s).  Your group can receive up to 20 bonus points for working cooperatively and using your time well.