Starter quiz
- Write the missing word. ______ is when investors purchase shares, often with borrowed money, in the hope of selling them off in future for a profit.
- 'Speculation' ✓
- Which statement is accurate?
- By the late 1920s, overproduction was only a problem in agriculture.
- By the late 1920s, overproduction was only a problem in industry.
- By the late 1920s, overproduction was a problem in agriculture and industry. ✓
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- How much did the share price of the Radio Corporation of America change by between September and November 1929?
- It decreased by 94%. ✓
- It decreased by 44%.
- It stayed the same.
- It increased by 44%.
- It increased by 94%.
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- What was buying on the margin?
- Purchasing cars using large bank loans to cover 90% of the price.
- Purchasing houses using large bank loans to cover 90% of the price.
- Purchasing radios using large bank loans to cover 90% of the price.
- Purchasing shares using large bank loans to cover 90% of the price. ✓
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- Why were foreign tariffs an economic problem for the USA?
- American companies earned more abroad than at home.
- American companies struggled to sell off their surplus products. ✓
- American companies were encouraged to overproduce.
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- Starting with the earliest, sort the following events of the Wall Street Crash into chronological order.
- 1⇔Company profits begin to decline.
- 2⇔Cautious investors start selling off shares.
- 3⇔Black Thursday and Black Tuesday.
- 4⇔Many speculators and shareholders are bankrupted.
- 5⇔659 banks fail across the USA.
Exit quiz
- Match each of the keywords to their correct definition.
- breadline⇔a long queue formed at charity-run soup kitchens ✓
- evicted⇔when a person is forced to leave the property they live in ✓
- hobo⇔someone who has no job or house and who moves from place to place ✓
- welfare⇔help provided by the state to help those in need ✓
- Why was the period of economic hardship in the USA beginning in 1929 called the Great Depression?
- Depression because so many were unhappy; Great because worse than any others
- Depression because of the decline in economic activity; Great because very large ✓
- Depression because economic output shrank; Great because it was over quickly
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- How did African American unemployment compare to the national unemployment rate?
- It was double the national rate. ✓
- It was slightly higher than the national rate.
- It was the same as the national rate.
- It was slightly lower than the national rate.
- It was half the national rate.
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- Write the missing word. Jesse Jackson described the men of the Hooverville in Seattle as the "______ men".
- 'forgotten' ✓
- Hoovervilles were created in many American cities. Based on this, which conclusion is most valid?
- Government welfare support was not needed by many people.
- Private charity was more important than government welfare for supporting people
- Government welfare support was too limited to help many people. ✓
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- Why could millions of Americans living in the Dust Bowl be called refugees?
- They moved as they wanted to find better paying work elsewhere.
- The Great Depression led to widespread conflict in these areas.
- Environmental change destroyed their farming land, forcing them to move ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- By 1932, one in four workers was unemployed in the USA.
- Living standards fell as many Americans lost their homes and were forced to rely on charity.
- Thousands of houseless Americans moved into camps known as Hoovervilles.
- One in 20 farmers had been evicted from their land by 1932.
- Farmers suffered from natural disasters and millions living in the Dust Bowl were forced to move.
Common misconception
All Americans were affected in the same way by the Great Depression.
Some issues experienced during the Great Depression differed between rural and urban areas. African Americans also tended to suffer more, with higher rates of unemployment than average.
Keywords
Breadline - a breadline was a long queue formed at charitable soup kitchens during the Great Depression
Evicted - if a person is legally forced to leave the property they live in, they have been evicted
Mortgage - a mortgage is money that you borrow from the bank to buy a home
Hobo - during the Great Depression someone who travelled around the country looking for work was known as a hobo
Welfare - help provided by the state and government organisations to those in need is referred to as welfare
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