President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal was designed to bring relief from the Great Depression. New Deal legislation put people to work through groups such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA), created a safety net for retired individuals, and granted aid to the unemployed and disadvantaged. FDR’s policies made the American government more visible in people’s lives, providing a direct response to the needs of ordinary individuals.

You will be assigned topics that reflect the issues surrounding Roosevelt’s New Deal policies and programs. Use what you have learned to participate in a group oral presentation in which you introduce either a New Deal program, or a critic’s alternative plan, to the class. To prepare for the presentation, you will research the goals and achievements of New Deal programs.

Look at the photograph below. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Michigan, 1939: WPA construction workers build a sidewalk as a WPA artist sketches them.

• What types of work did New Deal employees, such as these WPA workers do?
• How might New Deal programs have affected the country’s short-term and long-term economic goals?

Use the Daily Life through History articles listed on the right to research New Deal social and economic programs, as well as alternative plans proposed by critics. Examine the Timeline. As you read, keep your assigned topic in mind, considering the ways in which the New Deal altered the role of government in American citizens’ lives. Remember to address the advantages and disadvantages of your assigned program or proposal, and that each group member should present at least one fact to the class.

Use the Main Idea and Details Chart to organize your information. In the top box, write your assigned program, for example AAA. In the boxes below, write details about your program, for example crop reduction. Choose facts for each group member to present, and decide the format of your presentation. You may wish to incorporate quotations, photographs, or other visual aids to enhance your presentation.

Each group will have 5–10 minutes to make its presentation. Following the oral presentations, your teacher will direct a class discussion addressing the successes and failures of the New Deal, and how it marked a shift in the role of government involvement in the welfare of citizens.

Your teacher will use these questions to assess your performance:

• Did your presentation include supporting facts and historical details?
• Did you organize your presentation clearly and logically?
• Did your tone and manner meet the needs of your audience?
• Did you participate in both the group presentation and class discussion?