Classroom activity: The Great Depression and New Deal
Directions: Use the content from the Citizen Bee website to help answer the following questions.
People
Franklin D. Roosevelt
- What were the economic conditions President Roosevelt faced when he took office?
- What is an example of a program President Roosevelt instituted to provide relief to those impacted by the Depression? An example of a program designed for recovery of the economy? An example of a program designed to reform or regulate the economy?
- How did President Roosevelt react when the Supreme Court struck down some of the New Deal legislation thought to be an unconstitutional expansion of Congressional power?
Documents
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address
- What was President Roosevelt addressing when he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” in his First Inaugural Address?
- How did President Roosevelt feel the “normal balance of power” was going to have to be altered to face the economic crisis?
Social Security Act
- What aspects of life in the U.S. were impacted by the Social Security Act of 1935?
- What role did the Secretary of Labor play in the development of the Social Security program?
Cases
Near v. Minnesota
- What impact did the use of the “incorporation doctrine” have in the case of Near v. Minnesota?
- Since the decision in the case prohibits censoring of newspapers before publication, what recourse do people have if they feel they have been wronged by false accusations by the press?
- Why is this case considered an important victory for First Amendment’s protection of freedom of the press?
Schechter Poultry Corporation v. United States
- Why is the case sometimes called the “sick chicken” case?
- How did the decision in the case deal a blow to President Roosevelt’s New Deal plans for recovery?
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