President Hoover and the 1932 presidential election
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess the significance of Herbert Hoover's response to the Great Depression.
Key learning points
- President Hoover believed in the idea of ‘rugged individualism’.
- The public often argued that Hoover's policies failed to help them during the Great Depression.
- Hoover lost the 1932 election and was beaten by Franklin D. Roosevelt by a landslide.
- Roosevelt's promise of 'a New Deal for the American people' was very popular with American voters.
Keywords
Rugged - someone may be described as rugged if they are tough and determined
Retaliation - retaliation involves harming another person or group after they have acted in a way which hurt you
Public works - public works involve the construction of roads, bridges, hospitals and similar things that are paid for by the government
Pension - a pension is money paid to a person once they are elderly and no longer work
Relief - food, money or services provided to people in need is called relief
Common misconception
President Hoover did nothing to try and help Americans during the Great Depression.
At times, Hoover refused to act to provide relief, especially at the start of the Great Depression, but by 1932, the president was taking more action to try and help, such as setting up the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.
Teacher tip
Before attempting the final task, get pupils to discuss the following: (1) how similar were Hoover and Roosevelt's policies? Why did this matter? (2) why would the opinions of houseless and unemployed Americans be important in the 1932 election? Who were these people more likely to support?
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word. A was a long queue formed at charity-run soup kitchens during the Great Depression.
Q2.Write the missing number. One in American workers was unemployed by 1932.
Q3.What were Hoovervilles?
Q4.How did African American unemployment compare to the national average during the Great Depression?
Q5.Why could millions of Americans living in the Midwest during the 1930s be called refugees?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match up each key word with its correct definition.
Money paid to a person once they are elderly and no longer work
Construction projects on things like roads paid for by the government
Food, money or services provided to people in need is called relief
Q2.Write the missing surname. Franklin D. won the 1932 presidential election by a landslide.
Q3.What did Roosevelt's New Deal promise?
Q4.Which statement is most accurate?
Q5.Starting with the earliest, sort the following developments to explain how US tariff policy harmed American businesses.
Q6.Starting with earliest, sort the following steps to explain how Roosevelt planned to help the economy recover.
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: President Hoover and the 1932 presidential election, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: President Hoover and the 1932 presidential election, 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.