This lesson is available through Emerging America, a TPS Consortium partner from Massachusetts and was created by Elena T. Danek. Access the full lesson plan by clicking the link below. Historical Fiction: Setting Study through Primary Sources of the Novel Esperanza Rising This two-day lesson is based on students acquiring a better understanding of the effects the Great Depression had on migrant workers and their children as portrayed in the novel: Esperanza Rising. The use of photographs, … [Read more...]
Today in History: Samuel H. Gottscho and William H. Schleisner
Today in History–June 21–the Library of Congress features Samuel H. Gottscho and William H. Schleisner. On this date in 1934, Samuel Herman Gottscho snapped a photograph of the north facade of the Nebraska state capitol in Lincoln. A photography enthusiast, Gottscho was a traveling salesman for 23 year before becoming a professional photographer in 1925 at the age of fifty. His son-in-law William H. Schleisner joined him in the business in 1935. Find out more by visiting … [Read more...]
Today in History: Walker Evans
Today in History–July 16–the Library of Congress features photojournalist Walker Evans. On this date in 1936 Evans took a leave of absence from from the Farm Security Administration (FSA) to accept a summer assignment with Fortune magazine. Evans and writer James McGee worked together to document the lives of sharecropper families in Alabama, which would eventually be published in the book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links … [Read more...]
Primary Source Learning: Great Depression & World War II Primary Source Set
Have students use the primary sources in this set to tell a story about the period 1929-1945. At the depths of the great depression, which followed the stock market crash in October 1929, over one-quarter of the American workforce was out of work. But President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted a variety of "New Deal" programs and told U.S. citizens that there was nothing to fear but fear itself. Although the United States tried to stay out of World War II, eventually, the wartime economy would … [Read more...]
Today in History: Works Progress Administration
Today in History–April 8–the Library of Congress features the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was funded by the the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, approved on this day in 1935. This national works program, created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, employed more than 8.5 million people on 1.4 million public projects before it was disbanded in 1943. Learn more about the Library's treasure trove of WPA materials by visiting the Today in History section and clicking the … [Read more...]
Today in History: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Today in History–January 20–the Library of Congress features Franklin Delano Roosevelt, inaugurated as U.S. President in January on this day in 1937. This was the first inauguration held in January but FDR's second of four inaugurations, his first was held on March 4, 1933. Find out more about the longest serving president in our nation’s history by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access more resources and individual primary sources related to the 32nd … [Read more...]
Today in History: Eleanor Roosevelt
Today in History–October 11–the Library of Congress features Eleanor Roosevelt, born on this day in 1884. Learn more about this first-class first lady in the Today in History section then click the links below to access related primary sources. Eleanor Roosevelt image set Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. attends Women in War Work Congress in Paris 1918 film Speech by Eleanor A. Roosevelt New York 1941 Eleanor Roosevelt historical newspaper coverage Modern-day legislation related to … [Read more...]