American recovery from the Great Depression
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can evaluate the impact of the New Deal and Second World War on American recovery from the Great Depression.
Key learning points
- The New Deal supported the American economy.
- The 1930s continued to be a difficult time for many people.
- WW2 stimulated the American economy.
- Unemployment dropped and investment increased during the war.
- Experiences of economic recovery in the USA were uneven.
Keywords
Stimulated - something is stimulated if it is encouraged to develop, grow or increase its activity
Common misconception
The benefits of WW2 were experienced evenly by all groups of Americans.
Women and African Americans enjoyed many benefits from the stimulus created by WW2, but continued discrimination in the armed forces and on the home front meant that they did not always benefit as much as White Americans did from wartime recovery.
Teacher tip
In learning cycle 3, students can be presented with alternative forms of long-term economic data to help compare the New Deal and impact of WW2 (i.e. by studying GDP).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A is a person whose job involves joining pieces of metal together.
Q2.Which of the following statements is a description given by Douglas MacArthur, an army general, of the Women’s Army Corps?
Q3.Which of the following statements is evidence for discrimination affecting Black nurses in the Army Nurse Corps?
Q4.Which laws legalising racial segregation remained in place throughout WW2?
Q5.What was the name of the campaign supporting the USA’s war aims to promote democracy and freedom abroad and for African Americans at home?
Q6.A system of limiting the amount of something that each person is allowed to have is .
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What keyword means being encouraged to develop, grow or increase its activity?
Q2.In which year was the New Deal introduced?
Q3.Which of the following sentences accurately describes the purpose of the Emergency Banking Act?
Q4.Match the problem from the Great Depression with the response provided by the New Deal.
‘Alphabet Agencies’ like the AAA set up
Social Security introduced in 1935
CWA and CCC set up
Q5.Which of the following statements best demonstrate the discrimination faced by some Americans when looking for work during WW2? Select the correct answers.
Q6.In which year did the US begin fighting in WW2?
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: American recovery from the Great Depression, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: American recovery from the Great Depression, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the America 1920–1973, Opportunity and inequality unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.