This booklet is part of a series designed to help students take and defend a position on public issues. This unit on the New Deal era raises the following issues: (1) How responsible should the government be for the economic well being of citizens? To what extent should this responsibility outweigh traditional ideas of property rights? (2) What…

Characterizes the New Deal as "the single most important twentieth-century episode in the creation of the modern American state." Discusses the astonishing range of legislative activity enacted to respond to the Great Depression and the ensuing political opposition. Frankly evaluates those programs that failed. (MJP)

Characterizes the New Deal public works program as combining the short-term goal of unemployment relief with the long-term goal of regional economic development. Discusses the planning, implementation, and political opposition of the New Deal's many public works programs including the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Works Progress…

Examines the controversy generated by art works commissioned by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Attempting to create work for depression-era artists, the WPA often commissioned murals for government buildings. Recounts the experience of Seymour Fogel, who's positive portrayal of Native Americans ran afoul of racist sentiments in Safford,…

Presents 11 interdisciplinary projects that can be used as part of a unit of study on the Great Depression. The projects incorporate various styles of learning and disciplines, including art, music, mathematics, literature, and history. The projects include debates, dramatizations, creating newspapers, and collecting oral histories. (MJP)

Recalls the experiences of two North Dakota men who worked in New Deal jobs programs during the depression. Provides a personal look at the achievements and the administration of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Includes classroom suggestions for teachers. (MJP)

Briefly describes a World Wide Web site developed in conjunction with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and IBM. The New Deal Network is seen as being more than an online photographic archive. It will include online essays, discussion groups, and teaching guides. The Web site is http://newdeal.marist.edu. (MJP)