Starter quiz
- Write the missing word (beginning with R). Food, money or services provided to people in need is called ______.
- 'relief' ✓
- Who was president at the time that the Great Depression began?
- Calvin Coolidge
- Herbert Hoover ✓
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
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- Why was the Hawley-Smoot tariff a problem?
- It taxed American businesses.
- It encouraged businesses to overproduce.
- It led Europeans to increase their own tariffs. ✓
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- What did the Bonus Army ask for in 1932?
- a change in government
- new jobs in the US Army
- a revolution
- early payment of war pensions ✓
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- How did Hoover's idea of 'rugged individualism' affect his initial response to the Great Depression?
- It led him to fund extensive public works programmes.
- It led him to avoid providing much government support. ✓
- It led him fund education programmes to help each American.
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- Starting with earliest, sort the following steps to explain how Roosevelt planned to help the economy recover.
- 1⇔increase government funding for public works.
- 2⇔New jobs generated in areas such as construction.
- 3⇔People have more money to spend.
- 4⇔Businesses sell more and can begin to grow again.
- 5⇔Employment rises further.
- 6⇔US economy recovers from the Great Depression.
Exit quiz
- Write the missing word. A ______ was a farmer who rented a small area of land from a landowner; they had to give a share of the crops they grew to their landlord
- 'sharecropper' ✓
- How did unemploymnet in the USA change betweeb 1929 and 1933?
- It halved.
- It doubled.
- It became four times greater.
- It became eight times greater. ✓
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- Which group constantly travelled from place to place in search of work during the Depression?
- hobos ✓
- sharecroppers
- speculators
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- Which statement is most accurate about conditions during the Great Depression?
- Female unemployment and pay was worse than it was for men.
- Female pay was worse than men's but women suffered less from unemployment. ✓
- Females suffered less from unemployment than men and enjoyed better pay.
- Female unemployment was worse than men's but women were paid better.
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- Based on the experience of Mae West, which conclusion is most valid?
- The very rich continued to prosper during the Great Depression. ✓
- The very rich lost almost all of their wealth during the Great Depression.
- The very rich suffered worse than most Americans during the Great Depression.
- The very rich suffered similarly to most Americans during the Great Depression.
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- Starting with the earliest, sort the following to explain why many people of Mexican heritage were deported from the USA during the Great Depression.
- 1⇔Businesses struggle, reducing job opportunities.
- 2⇔Unemployment grows.
- 3⇔Jobless workers look for someone to blame.
- 4⇔People of Mexican heritage are accused of 'stealing' jobs from other Americans.
- 5⇔Deportations begin.
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Business failures, unemployment, poverty and homelessness were common hardships faced during the Great Depression.
- Different groups experienced the bust years differently.
- The very rich often retained more of their wealth than poorer Americans.
- African Americans and people of Mexican heritage generally experienced greater hardship than the average American.
Common misconception
All groups in America experienced increased hardship as a result of the Great Depression.
Increased hardship was the most common experience during the Great Depression but there still gains for some groups: overall female employment increased and some Americans, such as Hollywood stars, were still able to become very wealthy.
Keywords
Mortgage - a mortgage is money that you borrow from the bank to buy a home
Sharecropper - a sharecropper was a farmer who rented a small area of land from a landowner; they had to give a share of the crops they grew to their landlord
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