The Great Depression

The Basics• A SEVERE, WORLDWIDE Depression in the years before

World War II. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread of the 20th century.

• The timing varies from country to country, but it generally began in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s.

• Unemployment in the US rose to 25% (today is around 9.5%), and in other countries it was 33%.

• Cities were hurt, as their industries toppled. In the country, crop prices fell 60%.

• There is still ongoing debate as to the cause of the Great Depression – and we’ll get into that with later lessons.

The Assignment• But for now, lets focus on the assignment. Let’s get into

groups.• I will pass out photos from the Great Depression and Dust

Bowl era. Your group’s task is to come up with a story that fits the picture – if there are people in the picture, tell us about them, what they are thinking, etc. It is to be written down and handed in.

• Be imaginative, you have a blank slate from which to work – the only restrictions you have are that their must be a minimum of one paragraph (five sentences) – and a maximum of three paragraphs. You have twenty minutes to complete the assignment.

• Make it great! You will be sharing this with the class!• But to help you all out – here’s an example.

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