The purpose of this article is to: (1) Examine the historical development of the Federal Reserve System; (2) Provide background on Ben Bernanke, the new Fed chairman; (3) Explain the basic tools of monetary policy used by the Fed; (4) Examine the causes of the Great Depression, a topic of special interest to Bernanke; and (5) Provide some key resources for social studies teachers who wish to teach about the Fed and monetary policy in their classrooms. Here, the authors talk about the challenges met by former chairman Alan Greenspan while in office, and how the new chairman Ben Bernanke was appointed. Among other things, they present a short list of "Most Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Bernanke." (Contains 1 table and 7 notes.)