United States History

Great Depression and New Deal Unit

Purpose: To examine the causes and effects of the Great Depression and how it effected individuals and the country as a whole. To analyze the social and economic policies of the New Deal. To evaluate if the New Deal was a success or a failure.

Goals: At the end of this unit students will be able to:

    1. identify the short term and long term causes of the Great Depression.
    2. compare Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s philosophies about government intervention in solving economic problems.
    3. analyze primary source documents written by children to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
    4. analyze President Roosevelt’s role in the creation of an alphabet soup of social programs designed to bring economic relief, reform, and recovery.
    5. evaluate the effectiveness of the New Deal.
    6. debate whether the federal government should continue to provide social programs to help those living in poverty.

Skills: At the end of this unit students will be able to:

    1. read a stock report in the newspaper
    2. analyze primary source documents: letters to the first lady
    3. create a poem (acrostic, found, descriptive or historic diamante)

Assessment: Homework Assignments (20 points)

Class Participation: including KWL, daily warm-ups, student response sheet, and small group projects. (40 points)

Unit Test (100 points)

Homework:

Due on Wednesday Feb 19, 2003

Read Chapter 12 Section 1 Answer the Following Questions: (5 points)

  1. Explain why the economy appeared healthy in the 1920’s.
  2. Explain why, in reality, the economy was headed into danger.
  3. Describe the trouble farmers were dealing with in the 1920’s.

Due on Thursday Feb 20, 2003

Read Chapter 13 Section 1 Answer the Following Questions: (5 points)

1) Identify the programs President Roosevelt (FDR) created to restore the nation’s hope.

2) Explain the role of the first lady in the New Deal.

3) Describe the Second New Deal and how voters responded to it in the 1936 election.

Due on Tuesday Feb 25, 2003

Read Chapter 13 Section 2 Answer the following questions: (5 points)

1) Identify which Americans received only limited benefits from the New Deal.

2) Describe how politicians and demagogues criticized the New Deal.

3) Explain FDR’s Court-packing scheme.

Due on Wednesday February 26, 2003

Read Chapter 29 pg. 774-782 Answer the Following Questions: (5 points)

1) What are entitlements? Who benefits from entitlements?

2) Describe the history of entitlements from the New Deal to the Clinton Presidency.

3) In your opinion, should the United States continue to give federal government assistance to help the poor? Why or Why not?

Unit Test / Notebook Check on Monday March 3 ,2003.