Rails Basic

Introduction

Lesson Overview

Grade Level: 11th Grade

Subject

U.S. History II

Utah Standards

U.S. II Standard 4.2 (Great Depression Causes), U.S. II Standard 4.3 (New Deal Responses)

Essential Question

When the economy fails, what responsibility does the government have to help its citizens?

Objectives:

Students will identify the causes of the Great Depression.

Students will evaluate the effectiveness of New Deal programs in responding to the Depression.

Students will debate the changing role of the federal government.

Utah State Standards Alignment

Day 2 The New Deal

Hook (10 min) Show a WPA poster promoting a national park. Tell students: The government paid artists, writers, and construction workers during the Depression. Ask: Should the government create jobs when the economy fails? What's the alternative?

Mini-Lesson (20 min) Roosevelt's New Deal

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) won the 1932 election by promising a "New Deal." His administration launched an unprecedented wave of programs.

1. The First Hundred Days (1933) FDR closed all banks temporarily (Bank Holiday), passed the Emergency Banking Act, and created:

- CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Employed young men to build parks and infrastructure.

- AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act) Paid farmers to reduce production to raise prices.

- TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) Built dams and brought electricity to the rural South.

- NRA (National Recovery Administration) Set codes for fair competition, prices, and wages.

2. The Second New Deal (1935-1936)

- WPA (Works Progress Administration) Employed 8.5 million people building roads, bridges, schools, and creating art.

- Social Security Act (1935) Created unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and aid for the disabled and dependent children. It's still the foundation of the American safety net today.

- Wagner Act (1935) Protected workers' right to unionize.

- Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) Set a minimum wage and maximum hours.

3. Critics Conservatives argued the New Deal went too far — it expanded the federal government, increased the national debt, and interfered with free markets. Liberals (like Huey Long) argued it didn't go far enough — they wanted wealth redistribution and guaranteed incomes.

Student Activity (15 min) "New Deal Report Card" — Students evaluate 5 New Deal programs (CCC, AAA, WPA, Social Security, Wagner Act). For each, they assign a grade (A-F) based on: Did it work? Who did it help? Does it still exist today?

Phase 01

Standards Alignment

U.S. II Standard 4.2: Students will identify the causes of the Great Depression - including the stock market crash, bank failures, the Dust Bowl, and weaknesses in the global economy.

U.S. II Standard 4.3: Students will evaluate the effectiveness of New Deal programs in responding to the Great Depression - and debate the changing role of the federal government.

Phase 02

Hook & Mini-Lesson

Day 1: The Crash & the Depression

Hook (10 min): Show a photograph of a long line of unemployed workers at a soup kitchen during the Depression. Below it, show a stock ticker from 1929. Ask: How could the stock market crash cause people to lose their jobs, their homes, and their ability to feed their families?

Mini-Lesson (20 min): Causes of the Great Depression

1. The Stock Market Crash (October 1929): The market had been booming in the 1920s, fueled by speculation (buying stocks with borrowed money). On Black Tuesday (Oct 29, 1929), the market collapsed. But the crash alone didn't cause the Depression — it was a symptom of deeper problems.

2. Underlying Causes:

Unequal Wealth Distribution: The top 1% owned over 30% of all wealth. Most Americans didn't have enough money to buy the goods factories were producing.

Overproduction: Farms and factories produced more than people could buy. When demand dropped, production stopped and workers were laid off.

Bank Failures: Banks had invested depositors' money in the stock market. When the market crashed, banks failed. People lost their life savings. By 1933, 11,000 of the nation's 25,000 banks had failed.

The Dust Bowl: Severe drought combined with poor farming practices turned the Great Plains into a "Dust Bowl." Thousands of families (Okies) fled to California, as documented in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

International Weakness: The Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930) set off a trade war. European economies still recovering from WWI collapsed, spreading the Depression worldwide.

3. Human Impact: By 1933, unemployment reached 25%. Industrial production fell by 50%. Millions were homeless. People lived in shantytowns called "Hoovervilles." Bread lines and soup kitchens became common.

Student Activity (15 min): "Depression Timeline" — Students place 6 key events (Market Crash, Bank Failures, Dust Bowl, Hoovervilles, Bonus March, Election of 1932) on a timeline and draw connections between them.

Phase 03

Exit Ticket & Discussion

Exit Ticket (10 min): The New Deal created Social Security, minimum wage, and the modern welfare system. These programs still exist today, expanded or reduced by different presidents. Write a paragraph: What responsibility does the government have to help people during economic hard times?

Discussion Questions:

Did the New Deal end the Great Depression, or did World War II spending finally end it?

Is Social Security an earned benefit or a government handout?

How did the New Deal change what Americans expect from their government?

Lesson Finale

Exit Ticket

Primary Sources:

FDR's First Inaugural Address ("the only thing we have to fear is fear itself")

Photographs by Dorothea Lange (Migrant Mother)

The Social Security Act (1935)

Huey Long's "Share Our Wealth" speeches

Documentaries:

"The Great Depression" (American Experience, PBS)

"The Dust Bowl" by Ken Burns (PBS)

"The New Deal" (PBS)

Books:

David Kennedy, Freedom from Fear

Ira Katznelson, Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time

The Great Depression & the New Deal