Great Depression Social Effects: A Lesson Using

Pictures & Student Reflection

1929-1941

The Great Depression

1929-1941 25% unemployment

◦ 50% for African-Americans Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D)

elected in 1933 Begins New Deal

◦ Changes role of government◦ Before, government believed its job

was to support business◦ After, government took an active role

in the welfare (health) of its people Social Security Unemployment Later: medicaid, free reduced lunch

Using data from the chart, answer the following in complete sentences: What causes unemployment? How could federal spending help?

Year GDP in billions

Unemployment rate

Federal Spendingin billions

1929 $203.6 3.2% $3.1

1930 $183.5 8.7% $3.3

1931 $169.3 15.9% $3.6

1932 $144.2 23.6% $4.7

1933 $141.5 25% $4.6

1. What kinds of materials are the Hoovervilles made of?

2. If you lived in a Hooverville, what might you do to improve your life?

3. If you lived in a Hooverville, what might you do to improve safety and order in the Hooverville?

“Hoovervilles”

1. What is ironic about this photograph? What two things are not alike?

2. What point of view is the photographer attempting to communicate?

3. Why do you think African Americans suffered the highest unemployment rate, of 50%, during the Great Depression?

Soup and Bread Lines

African Americans waiting in a soup line for food

1. All of these men are applying for one job. What does this picture tell you about the number of jobs available?

2. As an employer, how might having large amounts of unemployed people help you?

3. As an employer, what traits would you look for in a possible employee?

Applying for a job

How did people try to survive?

Do these scenes remind you of anything today?

Unemployment

How was agriculture affected by the dust bowl?

What caused the dust bowl?

Agriculture

1. Millions of Americans picked up and left their farms for the west coast. They flooded California for farm jobs. There were few jobs, but thousands willing to work. What advantage did this provide for the farmers in California?

2. How do you think communities and police reacted to the flood of jobless and homeless families entering their towns? Why do you think so?

3. What kinds of risks do you think the over 4 million migrants faced?

Migrants

1. What advantage did a sit down strike provide for strikers, as opposed to picketing?

2. What additional dangers did strikers encounter during the great depression, as opposed to times of prosperity?

Labor Unions

A sit down strike in Flint, Michigan. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union discovered that GM was going to move operations to less unionized areas in order to pay workers less.

1. Did suicides climb or decline during the depression? What factors may have motivated this?

2. What factors do you think influenced the divorce and fertility rates?

3. How would you summarize the depression’s impact on families?

FamiliesYEAR FERTILITY RATE

1928 93.8

1929 89.3

1930 89.3

1931 84.6

1932 81.7

1933 76.3

1934 78.5

1935 77.2

1936 75.8

YEAR SUICIDE RATE by 100,000 people

1920-1928 12.11929 18.1

1930-1940 15.4

1920

-192

919

3019

3119

3219

331.25

1.35

1.45

1.55

1.65

Divorce Rate per 1,000 people

Divorce Rate

Depression Journal

Writing your journal

Who are you? What are you writing?

Pick and answer two of the questions as one of the following:◦ Man or Woman◦ White, Black, or Latino◦ Working Class: Farmer,

Laborer, small business◦ Upper Class: Owner, banker

You should sound like you live there!

1. How have you, and your family been affected by the depression?

2. What is the role of government in the lives of people? What should it do or not do?

3. How has the depression increased tension between different races and social classes?