I think one of the real challenges to teaching “The Great Depression” is to try to stay away from political historical analogy and focus on the changes taking place within American society. How the country transformed from the 1920s to the late 1930s. As a teacher I need documentaries that present Great Depression society and culture and I think I found a good one. The Great Depression is a history channel presentation hosted by former NY mayor Mario Cuomo who grew up during the height of the era. The DVD has over 200 minutes of material, but it is nicely broken up in to about 50 minute segments which are perfect for classroom use. These segments are: 1) ”The Great Shake-Up.” Faced with hard times, Americans sought release wherever they could find it, from marathon dancing to going to the movies; 2) ”Face the Music” uses extensive film clips and photos to show how the media came of age to become an integral part of daily life. As the Depression lingered and the New Deal failed to live up to people’s expectations, some Americans fought back against a system they felt had betrayed them; and finally, 4) ”Striking Back,” rare footage and revealing interviews relive the desperate acts of people who had been pushed too far by the crisis. Finally, ”Desperate Measures” shows how the approach of World War II did what all the protests and recovery programs failed to do – end the Great Depression.
From the product page: In the first years of the Great Depression, banks and businesses failed in record numbers as America struggled to come to grips with the disaster. Examine the changes that swept the shaken nation, from the landslide victory of FDR in 1932, to the California migrations of Dust Bowl farmers.
I strongly urge you to get this DVD as it is useful and affordable at only $11.49 currently.
