Teacher's Toolkit for Great Depression and the New Deal

I just finished blogging about the best videos (the Teachable Moments series from the FDR Presidential Library) to use when teaching the Great Depression and the New Deal.  Here are the other resources I will be using to work with my students this week.

"Radical Responses to the Great Depression," a website from the University of Michigan's Special Collections Library, is a great introduction to the social aspects of the era.  It has artifacts and commentary exploring topics like criticism from the radical left and conservative right, labor strikes and violence, the case of the Scottsboro Boys, and the social cost of unemployment and hunger.

The Supreme Court Historical Society has produced an excellent series of 10 short videos on FDR and the Court-Packing Controversy.  The videos provide concise commentary on the context (the New Deal and judicial opposition to FDR's programs), the Court-Packing proposal, reaction and debate on the proposal, and its eventual withdrawal.

This feature from the Library of Congress includes commentary and artifacts describing the impact the Great Depression and New Deal had on African Americans.

Finally, this 2008 story ("A Depression-Era Anthem For Our Times") from NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday looks at the song "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" to consider why it has been considered the anthem of the Great Depression.

Bread line in New York City, 1929