Oct. 29, Dies Irae (1929) – James N. Rosenberg – AP ONLY
Introduction
In Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) artist James N. Rosenberg illustrates his perception of the
events of October 29, 1929.
Questions to Answer
1. Why did the artist title a political cartoon about October 29, 1929, "Day of
Wrath"?
2. What is happening to the skyscrapers? What does it represent?
3. Who do you think is jumping from the skyscrapers? Why?
4. What is the mood of the crowd in the street?
5. What message is Rosenberg trying to convey about the events of October 29,
1929? Do you agree with his assessment? Why or why not?
Depression and the New Deal (1929-1942) – AP & HONORS
Introduction
One man wrote to a newspaper in 1932, I am forty-eight; married twenty-one years; four
children, three in school. For the last eight years I was employed as a Pullman conductor.
Since September, 1930, they have given me seven months part-time work. Today I am an
object of charity. . . . My small, weak, and frail wife and two small children are suffering
and I have come to that terrible place where I could easily resort to violence in my
desperation.
The figures in this chart can only begin to suggest the widespread human misery caused
by mass unemployment.
Questions to Answer
1. How is this chart measuring unemployment?
2. The chart starts with the 1929 Stock Market Crash and ends right after the United
States entered World War II. According to the chart, when was unemployment at
its highest?
3. According to the chart, when was unemployment at its lowest?
4. One of the goals of the New Deal was to lower unemployment. From the
information presented on this chart, does it appear to have been successful?
5. What event listed on the chart did more than the New Deal to end the nation's
unemployment problem? Why was it more successful?
Broke - Baby Sick - Car Trouble (1937) – Dorothea Lange – AP ONLY
Introduction
Through her work for the federal government, photographer Dorothea Lange helped
create a visual record of the effects of the Great Depression on the American people.
Think about what people faced in 1937 to help understand the message of this picture.
Questions to Answer
1. After reading your text, describe what was happening in the U.S. economy in
1937.
2. What are the people in the picture doing?
3. What do the items loaded on the back of the truck represent? Why did this family
take so many things with them?
4. Where do you think the father of this family went?
5. What do you think might have happened to this family?
6. Explain why this photograph is a useful piece of evidence in understanding the
Great Depression.