Introduction to Of Mice and Men:The Roaring ‘20s, The Great Depression,

The Dust Bowl, and Migrant Workers

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1564.htmlThe Roaring Twenties

The 1920s were a lively time for most Americans. Read the information at the site below, and answer Questions 1-7 on your paper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNAOHtmy4j0Video of dance crazes

People were thrilled that World War I had come to an end, and most people experienced economic prosperity. Click on the site below to see popular dance moves of the 1920s.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpmech3.htm19th Amendment

Click on the site below and read the information to answer Question 9.

Click on the link below to find information about popular sports events and athletes of the 1920s.

http://library.thinkquest.org/C005846/categories/sports/sports.htmSports in the 1920s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnNRIwZUzpo&NR=1Steamboat Williehttp://disney.go.com/vault/archives/movies/steamboat/steamboat.htmlSteamboat Willie History

Movies became popular in the 1920s, and innovations like sound occurred at this time. Click on the first link below and watch the film clip. Then click on the second link and read the information it provides. Answer Question 11.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/31_hoover/index.htmlHerbert Hoover in a Nutshell

You’ve already learned that in 1928, Herbert Hoover was elected President of the US. Read some facts about his life, and note some of those for Question 12.

http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/04/12_great-depression.htmlStock Market Crash

Unfortunately, the prosperity of the early part of the decade did not last. Click on the link below to facts about the Great Depression. Read all of the facts, and then list some for Question 13. DO NOT SIMPLY LIST THE FIRST ONES.

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/greatdepression/tp/greatdepression.htmCauses of the Great Depression

Some people wrongly believe that the Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression are the same thing; in reality, the Crash was just one case of the Great Depression. Click on the link below to find other causes, and answer Question 14.

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0835397.htmlNew Deal

In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected President. He promised Americans a “New Deal” to help restore the shattered economy. Click the link below, read the information, and answer Question 15.

http://www.google.com/images?q=dust+bowl+1930&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7DGUS_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=RXDHTO_jHYf09gTh_9TdAw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CC8QsAQwAg&biw=1259&bih=571Dust Bowl Images

Clicking on the link below takes you to a series of images of the Dust Bowl, an area that received no significant rain for almost a decade. Click on several pictures and record your observations for Number 16.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2CiDaUYr90Dust Bowl Video

Click on the link below and watch the video clip about the Dust Bowl, and write your observations for Number 17.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgR2Buke5MQ&feature=relatedLange photos, migrant workers

Because of disastrous conditions in the economy and farming, millions of Americans migrated to the west, looking for work on California farms. Click on the link below and watch the video about these migrant workers. Then answer Question 18.

John Steinbeck wrote several pieces of literature dealing with this time frame and these social conditions. His books were not always well received. Click on the link below to discover some objections to Of Mice and Men, which we are going to read (You’ll have to skip past a few other novel titles). Answer #19.

http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=bbwlinks&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=136590Banned books

http://www.shmoop.com/john-steinbeck/quotes.htmlSteinbeck quote

In his Nobel acceptance speech, Steinbeck explained why he and other writers often write of unpleasant situations. Click on the link below and find the quote from the speech in which he accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature. Then answer Question 20.