Social Studies - United States History II
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U.S. II Strand 5: ECONOMIC BOOM, BUST, AND THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT

(Ca. 1920-1940)

Economic cycles of expansion and contraction have had a profound impact on the lives of Americans. There have been a number of economic crises throughout U.S. history, but the Great Depression and the New Deal have had the most significant impact on redefining the role of the government in economic and social policy. The arguments for and against intervention continue to reverberate to the current day.

Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

• What were the post World War I economic conditions and policies that led to the economic boom of the 1920s?
• What are the pros and cons of government involvement during economic crises?
• How and why are segments of a population affected differently by periods of economic boom and bust?
• What was the impact of New Deal policies on the Great Depression?
• What is the relationship between economic factors and international conflicts?
• How did the Great Depression affect families?
• What role did the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl play in the extensive internal migration of this era?

• Worth a Thousand Words: Depression-Era Photographs
  Throughout the Great Depression, the federal government employed photographers to document the need for New Deal programs and the extent of these programs' successes. Today, through the Internet, students can view this record of an era and see for themselves how Americans faced the challenge of those testing times.

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