Analyze the impact of New Deal legislation on the welfare of the American public; evaluate proposed alternatives to New Deal legislation; understand the legacy of 1920s and 1930s social transformations in American society.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt initiated New Deal programs in response to the economic and social devastation wrought by the Great Depression. In 1933, the Hundred Days Congress adopted measures to address issues from unemployment to agriculture. By the mid-1930s, programs included the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), which provided subsidies to farmers; the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which employed men in conservation work; and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which hired workers in construction and public works projects. The Social Security Act of 1935 created a contributory system that established pensions and unemployment insurance as a safety net for workers in retirement or times of hardship. New Deal programs ultimately changed the role of the federal government as it assumed a greater responsibility in providing for the welfare of citizens.

• CA  11.6: 2-4 Historical Interpretation: 4
• TX  113.32(1): c; 113.32(13): b-e; 113.38(2): d
• FL  SS.A.5.4: 4; SS.D.2.4: 3
• NCSS  VI(HS): a, b, i

2 class periods

• Activity Sheet, FDR’s New Deal and the Welfare State
• Timeline, Life in the United States, 1920–1939 
• Graphic Organizer, Main Idea and Details Chart
• Performance Rubric

Students have the opportunity to write a Research Report (see Extension below).

How did New Deal legislation alleviate the effects of the Great Depression and change the role of government in citizens’ lives?

Evaluate Effects Students will make group oral presentations in which they introduce measures undertaken by FDR and the American government in response to the Great Depression. Group members will research the programs introduced under FDR’s New Deal, as well as alternative programs proposed by New Deal critics.

Have students research the topic using the provided links. Encourage them to use the suggested graphic organizer as they read the articles.

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

To start students thinking about the impact of the New Deal and the changing role of government, have then examine the photograph.

Key questions students should answer are:

• 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?

Distribute the Student Activity Sheet. Divide students into groups, assigning each group one of the following topics to present.

• Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
• Works Progress Administration (WPA)
• Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
• Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA
• Social Security Act of 1935
• Huey Long’s Plan
• The Townsend Plan

Tell students that each group will present its topic to the class. Explain that groups should introduce the measures enacted (or proposed) by each plan, with each group member presenting at least one fact about their assigned topic. Tell students that you will moderate a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of each program or proposal following the presentations

Use the Performance Rubric to assess students’ performance.

Have students reflect on their performance and use the list of expectations to judge how well they met the criteria.

Ask students: Which New Deal program was most effective in improving the welfare of the American public?

Expository Writing Have students use Daily Life through History to conduct research and write about the success or failure of the American government in providing for the welfare of its citizens during the economic turbulence of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Critical Thinking: EVALUATE