The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II Chapter 8—Lesson 1 The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 ALCOS #12: Explain the effects of the events of the 1920’s and the Great Depression on different socioeconomic groups. •over cropping of land, unemployment, poverty, establishment of new federal programs OUTCOME Students will be able to create a political cartoon that symbolizes the problems brought on by the Great Depression and the solutions made in attempt to make life better.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 Listen to the story of “The Grasshopper and the Ant”. Talk to your partner about the lesson taught by the story. What character in the story could be compared to most people in the 1920’s (grasshopper or ant)? Talk to your partner and discuss what they have in common. In this lesson, you will learn about a difficult time in the history of our country.

Once there lived an ant and a grasshopper in a grassy meadow. All day long the ant would work hard, collecting grains of wheat from the farmer's field far away. She would hurry to the field every morning, as soon as it was light enough to see by, and toil back with a heavy grain of wheat balanced on her head. She would put the grain of wheat carefully away in her larder, and then hurry back to the field for another one. All day long she would work, without stop or rest, scurrying back and forth from the field, collecting the grains of wheat and storing them carefully in her larder. The grasshopper would look at her and laugh. 'Why do you work so hard, dear ant?' he would say. 'Come, rest awhile, listen to my song. Summer is here, the days are long and bright. Why waste the sunshine in labour and toil?' The ant would ignore him, and head bent, would just hurry to the field a little faster. This would make the grasshopper laugh even louder. 'What a silly little ant you are!' he would call after her. 'Come, come and dance with me! Forget about work! Enjoy the summer! Live a little!' And the grasshopper would hop away across the meadow, singing and dancing merrily. Summer faded into autumn, and autumn turned into winter. The sun was hardly seen, and the days were short and grey, the nights long and dark. It became freezing cold, and snow began to fall. The grasshopper didn't feel like singing any more. He was cold and hungry. He had nowhere to shelter from the snow, and nothing to eat. The meadow and the farmer's field were covered in snow, and there was no food to be had. 'Oh what shall I do? Where shall I go?' wailed the grasshopper. Suddenly he remembered the ant. 'Ah - I shall go to the ant and ask her for food and shelter!' declared the grasshopper, perking up. So off he went to the ant's house and knocked at her door. 'Hello ant!' he cried cheerfully. 'Here I am, to sing for you, as I warm myself by your fire, while you get me some food from that larder of yours!' The ant looked at the grasshopper and said, 'All summer long I worked hard while you made fun of me, and sang and danced. You should have thought of winter then! Find somewhere else to sing, grasshopper! There is no warmth or food for you here!' And the ant shut the door in the grasshopper's face. It is wise to worry about tomorrow today.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 233) ∙ In the 1920’s Americans were enjoying prosperity! Prices were up, the New York stock market was booming, and money was even more available.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 233) ∙ The good times came to an end in October 1929 when the New York stock market (a market in which stocks and bonds are traded) crashed. ∙ People kept buying stocks with borrowed money, and then the value of the stocks dropped to nothing. Many banks failed and people lost the money in their accounts. ∙ Factories, mines, and mills shut down leaving people without a job. Because of this loss, many people moved back to the farm or moved in with other family members.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (pages 233-234) ∙ The Great Depression was hard on almost everyone! ∙ The farm land was in poor condition, farmers couldn’t sell their produce, cotton prices were low. One good thing about being a rural family was that they could at least grow or raise there own food. ∙ For entertainment, some families played fiddles or pianos and sang together. Children found ways to play for free such as corn shuck toys, play baseball, horse shoes, marbles, checkers, or fly homemade kites.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 234) ∙ People living in the cities needed money to buy food. Without a job, men could not buy food for their families. Local churches and relief agencies opened “soup kitchens” to feed people. The number of needy people kept increasing! ∙ Even though times were tough, Alabamians had faith that Americans could work their way out of the depression. ∙ The Great Depression was the worst and longest lasting economic recession (a period of economic limitation = no money) our country had ever experienced.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (pages 233-234) ∙ Think about what you have learned so far about the Great Depression. What problems are being faced by Alabamians, as well as many other Americans, at this time in our history? (1 minute think time) ∙ Turn and Talk to your partner/group about your thinking.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 235) ∙ The horrible economic conditions became the major issue in the presidential election of 1932. President Herbert Hoover was a hero of WWI and helped feed the starving people in Europe, but he could not solve the problems of the American people. ∙ Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the American people a New Deal, and he was overwhelmingly elected president.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 235) ∙ Benjamin Meek Miller was governor when Roosevelt was elected. The state of Alabama had an $18 million debt and still needed money. He required the people to pay more taxes, which helped the state to pay off debt and help the needy. ∙ Miller also got the Budget Control Act passed which forced the state to only spend money that it makes…no more borrowing money!

∙ Roosevelt’s New Deal had 3 goals: Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (pages 236-237) ∙ Roosevelt’s New Deal had 3 goals: Relief for people who needed food and shelter Recovery to lift the country out of the recession and provide jobs Reform to create laws to make sure such a recession never happens again New Deal programs helped Alabama: 1. Civilian Conservative Corps (CCC)- put young men to work by constructing17 state parks 2. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)- built dams(provided electricity), controlled flooding and improved navigation on the Tennessee River 3. Glass-Steagall Banking Act- protected people’s bank accounts 4. Home Owners’ Refinancing Act-help Alabamians keep their homes 5. Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)- raised farm product prices by limiting production 6. Works Progress Administration (WPA)- built public buildings , constructed buildings, and paved roads. In Alabama, constructed part of the Archives building in Montgomery. 7. Social Security Act- gave old-age pensions for retired workers, paid for by a payroll tax.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 238) ∙ 1929- A great flood came to Alabama after it rained for several days. ∙ Levees (embankments built to control flooding) were built to keep some cities from flooding. ∙ Reservoirs were also built behind dams to reduce flooding on Alabama’s rivers.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 239) ∙ An important project of the WPA was a tunnel that went under the Mobile River and connected the city of Mobile to Blakely Island. ∙ Construction began in 1939 and the tunnel was opened in 1941. It cost more than 40 million dollars to build.

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (page 241) ∙ The worst part of the depression hit in 1933, and after that, condition slowly improved. ∙ 1935- Bibb Graves was reelected governor of Alabama. ∙ 1937- Governor Graves appointed his wife, Dixie, to fill a temporary seat in the Senate….she was the 1st woman from Alabama to serve as a U.S. senator.

Lesson 1 Review Questions Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (pages 233-242) Lesson 1 Review Questions 1. What happened in October 1929 that brought an end to the American prosperity of the 1920’s? 2. How did families take care of one another during the depression? 3.Where could townspeople without food or money eat during the depression? 4. What is the Budget Control Act? 5. What were the goals of Roosevelt’s New Deal?

Chapter 7: The Great Depression, The New Deal, and WWII Lesson 1 (pages 233-242) Lesson 1 Review Answers 1. The Great Depression happened in October 1929 and brought an end to the American prosperity of the 1920’s. 2. Families took care of one another during the depression by moving in together and sharing different chores around the house and farm. 3.Townspeople without food or money during the depression could eat at soup kitchens. 4. The Budget Control Act forced the state not to spend more money than it makes. 5. The goals of Roosevelt’s New Deal were relief for people needing food and shelter, recovery to provide jobs, and reform to create new laws that made sure such a great depression never happened again.

Lesson 1 Activity These cartoons used creativity and symbolism to mock political events, express opinions, and to simply entertain the American people. After each slide, discuss with your group what idea you think this cartoon is trying to get across to the reader.

Lesson 1 Activity These cartoons used creativity and symbolism to mock political events, express opinions, and to simply entertain the American people. After each slide, discuss with your group what idea you think this cartoon is trying to get across to the reader.

Lesson 1 Activity These cartoons used creativity and symbolism to mock political events, express opinions, and to simply entertain the American people. After each slide, discuss with your group what idea you think this cartoon is trying to get across to the reader.