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From DOCUMENT-BASED ACTIVITIES ON THE DEPRESSION & NEW DEAL
http://www.socialstudies.com/product.html?record@TF33514
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Teacher Introduction ................................................................................................v
Overview: Impact of the Great Depression ..............................................................vii
LESSONS
1. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 1
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 3
2. The New Deal and the Arts
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 5
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 7
3. “An Emergency is On”: African Americans and the NRA
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 9
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 11
4. “Sunny Cal”: The Okies Head West
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 13
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 15
5. The Court-Packing Controversy
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 17
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 19
Culminating Activities ............................................................................................ 23
Appendix
Answer Key ......................................................................................................... 27
Rubrics ................................................................................................................ 31
Selected Documents ............................................................................................ 37
Related Web Sites ................................................................................................ 41
Suggested Curriculum Materials ........................................................................ 43
From DOCUMENT-BASED ACTIVITIES ON THE DEPRESSION & NEW DEAL
http://www.socialstudies.com/product.html?record@TF33514
1
Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat
Teacher Page
Overview:
The source is a transcript of FDR’s fireside chat of May 7, 1933. In it he discusses both
measures that have been taken already as well as those soon to be implemented as part of
the New Deal, including the bank holiday, the CCC, the TVA, the Farm Relief Bill, and
the Railroad Bill. He also spends a great deal of time providing a rationale for these
measures, taking great pains to assure the public that neither the Executive Branch nor
the government as a whole is overstepping its bounds.
Objectives:
Students will:
• understand Roosevelt’s plans to combat the main problems of the Depression
• interpret the meaning of statements used in the speech
• assess the goals, benefits, and broad implications of Roosevelt’s policies
Web Sites Used in this Lesson:
The document exists on the New Deal Network Web site at
http://newdeal.feri.org/chat/chat02.htm
Strategies:
Pose the following questions to the class: “How does the President or other top level
officials communicate with the public today? How effective do you think today’s
methods are?”
Distribute handout to students. Have students answer questions 1 and 2 only, then discuss
the answers to these questions and make comparisons to today.
Students complete the remaining questions.
Wrap-Up:
After students have completed the worksheet, discuss interpretations of the quotation in
questions 3 and 7. Come to a consensus about the meanings.
Ask students, “What do you think Roosevelt’s most important immediate goal was? What
was his most important long-term goal?”
Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only.  2001 Social Studies School Service. (800) 421-4246 socialstudies.com
From DOCUMENT-BASED ACTIVITIES ON THE DEPRESSION & NEW DEAL
http://www.socialstudies.com/product.html?record@TF33514
2
Extension Activity:
Obtain a transcript of a present-day presidential radio address and have them identify the
central theme of the message, interpret meanings of key phrases, and assess the policy
implications and/or political goals
Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only.  2001 Social Studies School Service. (800) 421-4246 socialstudies.com
From DOCUMENT-BASED ACTIVITIES ON THE DEPRESSION & NEW DEAL
http://www.socialstudies.com/product.html?record@TF33514
3
Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat
Student Worksheet
Introduction:
FDR’s first ten days in office had been marked by a flurry of emergency measures
designed to curb the downward spiral of the U.S. banking system and to put the nation as
a whole back on a firmer economic footing. One of those measures was the bank holiday,
which closed all the banks for five days so that the government could examine their
financial health. By March 15th, many banks had been certified as sound enough to be
reopened and the stock market had risen significantly above its mid-February low. FDR
had been president for only two months when he gave this radio address to the nation.
Directions:
Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats
Go to http://newdeal.feri.org/chat/chat02.htm.
Answer the following questions about the primary source:
1. What do you think FDR hoped to accomplish by holding these fireside chats? Why do
you think he called them “fireside chats” instead of radio addresses or speeches?
2. Who would have been likely to listen to the fireside chats? How might have they
benefited by listening to them?
3. Roosevelt said, “The country was dying by inches.” How does he justify this opinion?
4. In part 5 of the chat, why do you think Roosevelt spent so much time talking about
Congress before focusing on his economic recovery plan?
Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only.  2001 Social Studies School Service. (800) 421-4246 socialstudies.com
From DOCUMENT-BASED ACTIVITIES ON THE DEPRESSION & NEW DEAL
http://www.socialstudies.com/product.html?record@TF33514
4
5. Part 7 discusses the Civilian Conservation Corps. Here Roosevelt states, “we are
killing two birds with one stone” because the CCC will be both “enhancing the value
of our natural resources” and “giving opportunity of employment to one quarter of a
million of the unemployed.” Do you think these two goals were equal in importance?
Why or why not?
6. In part 8 he refers to “incident benefits” of the TVA reaching the entire nation. Was
Roosevelt just trying to convince everyone that a local project was in the national
interest? Were there specific benefits that the TVA would provide for the country as a
whole?
7. In part 18, Roosevelt states, “We cannot ballyhoo ourselves back to prosperity.” What
does he mean by this?
8. In part 29, FDR says, “…the domestic situation is inevitably and deeply tied in with
the conditions in all the other nations of the world.” Why do you think he thought it
was important to make this point?
9. Part 22 suggests a broader concern than economic recovery. “We are working toward
a definite goal, which is to prevent the return of conditions which came very close to
destroying what we call modern civilization.” What “conditions” do you think he is
referring to here? Based on your knowledge of the era, do you think most Americans
would have agreed with the president that this was the goal of the New Deal?
Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only.  2001 Social Studies School Service. (800) 421-4246 socialstudies.com