1. TOPIC 13: Great Depression and the new deal
13.6: Culture during the depression

2. Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange – photographer in California who witnessed the arrival of migrants during the Dust Bowl
Many of her pictures became symbols for the Depression
Her work helped get aid for people in need
Inspired John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath

3. A New Age in American Entertainment
Mass entertainment flourished during the New Deal years as Americans sought escape from the worries of the depression.
The government played an active role in the arts, creating programs that put artists to work.
It was a golden age for entertainment, and the movies, music, and works of literature produced during this era hold a unique place in American culture.

4. Temporary Relief From the Challenges of the Depression
A New Age in American Entertainment
Temporary Relief From the Challenges of the Depression
Depression-Era Films Reflect Social Issues
Radio’s Increasing Popularity
The Sounds of an Era

5. Q: Why were many of Frank Capra’s films so popular with many Americans
Q: Why were many of Frank Capra’s films so popular with many Americans? They reflected the struggle many Americans were facing by focusing on the strength of average Americans.

6. Increased Funding for the Arts
1. The federal government provided funding for the arts for the first time in American history.
Recognizing that many artists and writers faced dire circumstances, WPA administrator Harry Hopkins established a special branch of the WPA to provide artists with work.
Programs such as the Federal Art Project, the Federal Writers’ Project, and the Federal Theatre Project offered a variety of job opportunities to artists.

7. The Federal Art Project employed artists to create colorful murals—such as this one at the Coit Tower, in San Francisco, California—in buildings throughout the nation.

8. American Society Under the Microscope
The Depression Era Reflected in Literature
American Society Under the Microscope
Champion Women and the Working Class
Comics Entertain and Inspire

9. Like many other authors of the 1930s, John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, wrote works that focused on the struggles of America’s poor and working class.

10. p. 562 #1. Explain how music helped unify people during the Great Depression.
It helped people escape their problems as well as recognize their similarities.

11. p. 562 #4. Explain how the U.S. entertainment industry changed during the 1930s.
Major companies were formed and the American culture changed to reflect the new mediums.

12. Americans sought to escape their worries through movies and radio.
30. Why did mass entertainment become such big business during the 1930s?
Americans sought to escape their worries through movies and radio.
High-quality movies and radio shows made the 1930s a golden age of entertainment.
Owners of movie studios and radio networks invested in their businesses, not the stock market.
Government played an active role in the entertainment business, funding filmmakers and broadcasters.
Americans sought to escape their worries
through movies and radio.

13. 31. How did the New Deal affect American artists?
It excluded artists from public-works projects.
It censored art that communicated communist ideas.
It provided artists with job opportunities and federal funding.
It promoted specific artists and increased the value of their work.
3. It provided artists with job opportunities and federal funding.

14. The Superman character was created in 1933 before being sold to Detective Comics, Inc. (DC Comics). When the Superman Comic first appeared in Action Comics #1, it featured an infant that was born on the planet Krypton and rocketed to Earth by his scientist father before the destruction of his home planet. Superman was discovered and raised to be this heroic figure by two married farmers in Kansas. Superman was such an iconic figure because he stood for all of America’s hopes for the future. The idea of figures such as Superman that put everything else behind and worked solely for the benefit of others was the dream for many Americans that were greatly impacted by the crippling issues associated with the Great Depression.

15. 32. How did Superman affect the American public?
It strengthened demands for racial equality.
It restored widespread hope in political leaders.
It demonstrated that ordinary people could be heroes.
It warned people about the dangers of new technology.
3. It demonstrated that ordinary
people could be heroes.