LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

The Great Depression and the 1990s

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/97/depress/overview.html

A lesson plan for Grades 11–12 United States History

Provider: Library of Congress/American Memory Project

About this resource

Appropriate grades
11–12
Subjects
social studies (United States history)
Provider
Library of Congress/American Memory Project

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Students frequently echo sentiments such as, “The government is too big,” or “The government should make welfare mothers pay for their own needs.” It seems that many citizens, high schoolers included, have begun to believe in reduced government combined with increased personal responsibility. Such sentiments suggest a move away from belief in the welfare state, created largely by the New Deal in the 1930s and reinforced by the "Great Society" legislation of the 1960s.

By using the American Memory's American Life Histories, 1936–1940 documents, personal interviews, and the Library of Congress's online legislative information (THOMAS), students will be able to gain a better understanding of why the government takes care of its people and how this type of welfare state started. Armed with this knowledge, they can then evaluate the current need of government programs, such as welfare, Medicare and Social Security, on the federal and state level.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grades 11–12 — United States History

  • Goal 9: Prosperity and Depression (1919-1939) - The learner will appraise the economic, social, and political changes of the decades of "The Twenties" and "The Thirties."
    • Objective 9.05: Assess the impact of New Deal reforms in enlarging the role of the federal government in American life.
  • Goal 12: The United States since the Vietnam War (1973-present) - The learner will identify and analyze trends in domestic and foreign affairs of the United States during this time period.
    • Objective 12.02: Evaluate the impact of recent constitutional amendments, court rulings, and federal legislation on United States' citizens.
    • Objective 12.04: Identify and assess the impact of social, political, and cultural changes in the United States.

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 11 — English III

  • Goal 1: The learner will demonstrate increasing insight and reflection to print and non-print text through personal expression.
    • Objective 1.01: Create memoirs that give an audience a sense of how the past can be significant for the present by:
      - elaborating upon a significant past episode from the student's current perspective.
      - projecting the student's voice in the work through reflective interpretation of relationships to people and events.
      -writing for a specific audience and purpose.
  • Goal 2: The learner will inform an audience by using a variety of media to research and explain insights into language and culture.
    • Objective 2.01: Research ideas, events, and/or movements related to United States culture by:
      - locating facts and details for purposeful elaboration.
      - organizing information to create a structure for purpose, audience, and context.
      - excluding extraneous information.
      -providing accurate documentation.
  • Goal 4: The learner will critically analyze text to gain meaning, develop thematic connections, and synthesize ideas.
    • Objective 4.03: Assess the power, validity, and truthfulness in the logic of arguments given in public and political documents by:
      - identifying the intent and message of the author or artist.
      - recognizing how the author addresses opposing viewpoints.
      - articulating a personal response to the message and method of the author or artist.
      -evaluating the historical significance of the work.