The Great Depression: America in the 1930s

WebQuest by Ms. Pohlman and Mrs. McNeice, Ellington Middle School

Introduction

"The beginning of the Great Depression was marked by the stock market crash of 1929, but it would take many years before the economic stranglehold would reach farmers and the working poor. In 1932, thirteen million people, or almost a forth of the work force, were unemployed. Banks ran out of money, farmers lost their land, and soup lines in the cities would sometimes stretch for blocks. While some were able to find work eventually, the economic conditions improved very slowly and depression lasted a full decade."

Task

Are you a migrant worker? a civilian conservation corps member? or a struggling farmer? 

You will be assigned a point of view of a person in the 1930s. After doing research to discover what your life would have been like, write a letter to a relative describing your experiences. You may write about your job, your family, your financial situation, the environment in which you live, your recreational activities, and anything else that would be important or interesting in your life.

Process & Resources

• Use the Notetaking Sheet to collect detailed information about your life during the Great Depression. Fill the sheet!
• You must cite each source by listing the URL at the bottom of your notes.
• Write a letter as though you are your character. See Rubric for instructions.
  

Additional Links
Songs of the Great Depression
Sample Prices
Photographs of the Great Depression
LIbrary of Congress American Memory Photos

Intro Text: Madison Media Center http://trumbullps.org/mms/library/webquest.htm#anchor198684
Photographs from The Library of Congress American Memory Collection
    http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?fsaall:2:./temp/~ammem_mXsX::displayType=1:m856sd=fsa:m856sf=8b22789:@@@
    http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?fsaall:13:./temp/~ammem_pCIR::

Created January 2004

updated September 2006