George Washington University
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project: Alfred M. Landon (1887 1987)
An interesting biography of Alf Landon, who ran for president against Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 even though he agreed with most of Roosevelt's positions and actions to pull the country out of the Great Depression. Read about his...
EL Education
El Education: Faces of the Depression
This book was created by 5th graders in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, as part of a learning expedition on the Great Depression. Students learned about the Depression though several different sources: in addition to standard historical...
Digital History
Digital History: President Roosevelt and the Wpa [Pdf]
Franklin Roosevelt had to deal with the Great Depression quickly when he became president in 1932. Read about the early New Deal legislation, how the money was spent, and who administered the programs. Find out about the Works Progress...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: An Evaluation of the New Deal
No discussion about the Great Depression can be complete without a look at the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal programs. Read about the changes and effects on the economy brought about by the programs, but see what...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Hoover's Last Stand
The Great Depression was not the fault of Herbert Hoover, but see how he was unable or unwilling to take the steps to address it. Find out how the election of 1932 was the result of his misunderstanding of the economics of the time.
Other
Broward County Library: The Wpa and Its Sub Agency, the Museum Extension Project
A description of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and some of its projects.
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Hoover's Address Regarding Unemployment
This site from the University of Massachusetts, Boston provides the text of Herbert Hoover's radio address to the US on October 18, 1931, regarding the unemployment situation.
Other
Tax History Project: Was Andrew Mellon Really the Supply Sider
A look at Andrew Mellon's policies as Secretary of the Treasury under three different presidents in the lead-up to the Great Depression.
Other
Hoover Online: Hoover and the Depression 1929 1933
Excellent site by two teachers outlines President Hoover and his administration's response to the Depression. Primary documents and lesson plans are given.
Ohio State University
Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
Ohio State University
Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
State Library-Florida
Florida Memory: Zora Neale Hurston and the Wpa in Florida
An account of the African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston and her experiences in Florida while working on the WPA. Includes a complete piece by Hurston entitled "Turpentine," photos and lesson plans.
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Franklin D. Roosevelt: Fireside Chat on Banking
Read the text of Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chat on March 12, 1933, just days after he was inaugurated for first term, in which he explained the reasoning behind his declaration of a bank holiday.
Historica Canada
Historica Canada: Heritage Minutes: Maple Leaf Gardens
During the Great Depression, to create work, an icon of hockey was built. This dramatization of the building of Maple Gardens gives a great background to the Depression as well as other links to digital sources. The resource is available...
Other
Lincoln City Libraries: Nebraska's Federal Writers Project
Rudolph Umland's writing, correspondence, and scrapbooks offer revealing portraits of life in Depression era Nebraska, and a uniquely well-documented insider's view of the local literary community and the Nebraska Federal Writers' Project.
Digital History
Digital History: President Hoover
President Herbert Hoover spent his life in public service, and was a very intelligent man, but he was not able to see the problems caused by the Great Depression. Read about his comments and presidential actions in dealing with this...
Tennessee Historical Society
Tennessee Encyclopedia: Public Works Administration (Pwa)
The Public Works Administration was responsible for employing thousands during the Great Depression in construction work. Read about some of the projects built in the Southeast, primarily in Tennessee.
Other
History Miami: Miami: One Hundred Years of History
An excellent discussion of Miami's colorful history from pre-European days up to modern times. Covers topics such as the Seminole Wars, the birth of Miami, the Everglades drainage project, Colored Town, the land boom, the Great...
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Miller Center's American President project offers an exhaustive look at Franklin Delano Roosevelt the man, the politician, and national icon who guided the United States through the dark times of the Depression and World War II. Find his...
University of California
History Project: The Bonus Army in Washington
For this high school lesson plan, students will analyze twenty-two primary source documents then answer questions pertaining to the "bonus marchers" in Washington in the summer of 1932.
Other
Fruit From Washington: Crop Harvests at Home in America in World War Ii
This site is filled with posters from World War II, the Great Depression, and World War I which encouraged using food wisely, growing victory gardens, and helping harvest the crops on commercial farms.
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.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Smith, Marx, and Keynes
Spanning three centuries of history, from the dawn of the industrial age to modern times, three diverse thinkers developed their own landmark theories on commerce, labor, and the global economy. The three economists profiled in this...
Indiana University
Wpa Exhibit Project: The Works Projects Administration in Indiana
Although this site concerns itself with the WPA in Indiana, the information provides a good overall look at the Works Progress Administration in the rest of country during the New Deal era.