The stock market crash of October 1929 brought the economic prosperity of the 1920s to a symbolic end. For the next ten years, the United States was mired in a deep economic depression. By 1933, unemployment had soared to 25 percent, up from 3.2 percent in 1929. Industrial production declined by 50 percent, international trade plunged 30 percent, and investment fell 98 percent.
Two presidents served America during the Great Depression: President Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1933, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) from 1933 - 1945. Under President Hoover, the Great Depression became worse. Under FDR, the Great Depression ended in 1941. The two presidents addressed the Great Depression in two very different ways.
- The teacher will start the lesson by introducing the historical context either through the secondary source reading or the video clip on the Great Depression. Students should be placed in pairs or groups to analyze the documents. If necessary the students can complete the entire activity independently. The teacher will then introduce the purpose/objective for the lesson: SWBAT understand the different paths taken by Hoover and FDR to address the Great Depression and evaluate the impact their words had on the American people.
- Students will split the documents and complete the analysis questions and share their finding with their partners. The teacher should allot approximately 10-15 minutes for this task. The teacher can embed vocabulary or insert sentence stems if necessary for their individual students.
- The teacher will ask students to share out their findings. Words and phrases cited to support their answers can be recorded on a white board or poster paper. After discussion about word choice and impact on the American people students will be directed to the writing prompt.
- Writing Task: In two complete paragraphs that cite information from the documents students will compare the approaches of President Hoover and FDR to the Great Depression. Students will evaluate the speeches for effectiveness citing words and phrases from the documents.
- The writing activity can be extended to include a rewriting or editing of the Presidents speeches to change the impact each speech has.
- The ability to communicate a clear message is an essential skill for a president. Students will evaluate the communication skills of President Hoover and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- SWBAT analyze primary sources from President Hoover and FDR and evaluate their communication skills in a writing prompt.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- Video-Historical Context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEtooSKpRs8
Directions: Below are two speeches delivered by Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt. Evaluate each source using the questions that follow.
Document A: President Hoover - February 3rd 1931- Statement on Unemployment Relief
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Certain Senators have issued a public statement to the effect that unless the President and the House of Representatives agree to funding from the Federal Treasury for charitable purposes they will force an extra session of Congress.
This is not an issue as to whether people shall go hungry or cold in the United States. It is solely a question of the best method by which hunger and cold shall be prevented. It is a question as to whether the American people on one hand will maintain the spirit of charity and mutual self-help through voluntary giving and the responsibility of local government as distinguished on the other hand from funding out of the Federal Treasury for such purposes. My own conviction is strongly that if we break down this sense of responsibility of individual generosity to individual and mutual self-help in the country in times of national difficulty and if we start providing federal money in this manner we have not only impaired something infinitely valuable in the life of the American people but have struck at the roots of self-government. Once this has happened it is not the cost of a few score millions, but we are faced with the abyss of reliance in future upon Government charity in some form or other. The money involved is indeed the least of the costs to American ideals and American institutions. |
Document A - Analysis Questions
- Sourcing: Who is the author of this document? When was it written?
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