Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: The Wpa: Antidote to the Great Depression?
[Free Registration/Login Required] A good assessment of the Works Progress Administration and its contribution not only of providing jobs for the unemployed during the Great Depression, but for the lasting improvements it made in the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Hardships During the Great Depression
Middle schoolers will be divided into groups of 2 or more. Each group will be given a choice of jobs that were available during the 1930s. Students will learn to manage their cost of living and household expenses.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
The Joad family leaves Oklahoma in search of work after their farm is destroyed by the Dust Bowl. They arrive in California only to find that fair jobs, food, and sympathy are scarce. Selected (9) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair...
Curated OER
History Matters: Unemployed Councils of the 1930s
This account by Communist activist Anna Taffler details her activities working with the Communist-led Unemployment Councils of the 1930s. These organizations worked in hundreds of local communities to demand jobs and better treatment...
Digital History
Digital History: Jobs Programs
The major aspect of the Great Depression was the rampant unemployment. Read about the many jobs programs that were part of the New Deal that provided employment for millions of needy Americans.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
After losing his mother four years ago, 10-year-old Bud Caldwell runs away from the foster care system in search of the father he has never met. Selected (11) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher...
Other
Eh.net: Rural Electrification Administration
A very interesting assessment of the success of the Rural Electrication Admininstration in bringing electricity to rural areas that private utilities had been unwilling to service. Read about the results in terms of needed jobs in the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Women Aviators in World War Ii: "Fly Girls"
This lesson plan explores the contributions of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II, and their aviation legacy. They will examine portrayals of women in World War II posters (and newsreels) and compare and...