American
Voices
5 Twenty-five Minute Programs
Grade(s): 7 – 12
Social
Studies, History, American
History, Oral History
 In
the late 1930’s, the U. S. Government commissioned an oral history
project in which thousands of ordinary Americans took part.
They described their lives and their experiences:
immigrants who came in search of the American dream; Americans who
flourished in the boom-times, then lost it all in the crash; poor farmers
in the south; black meatpackers in the north, new deal relief workers,
vagrants on the streets of New York.
This
series reconstructs the work of the Federal Writers Project and provides a
unique and interesting look at America between the wars.
It explores this rich and fascinating period chronologically.
Each historical period is explored through a central character and
works on two different levels aiming to grab the attention of students
through strong storylines and powerful human narrative; and support the
teaching of history through the use of newsreels, film and photos.
The series addressed the National
Standards for Social Science - U. S. History
Online
Net Notes:
includes program outlines,
photos, and appropriate Internet Links.
Programs:
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1.
Immigrant America
(23:57)
 Between 1900 and 1917, eight million immigrants crossed the
Atlantic to start a new life in America. In this New World, it was said,
there was a chance for everyone to succeed, to prosper, to live the
American Dream. But how far could America fulfill such expectations?
2.
Boom and Bust
(23:44)
 The "Roaring Twenties", and the "Jazz Age" was a time of release after
the horrors of the First World War, a boom-time of prosperity and
pleasure. But how real was that prosperity for most Americans? And why,
in 1929, did the good times Crash?
3.
Hard Times
(24:05)
 In the early 1930's, the United States experienced the worst Depression
in her history; an economic slump which turned on its head the
prosperity of the 1920's. a slump in which 15 million Americans lost
their jobs. But what was it like, to live through this Great Depression? |
4. New Deal (23:45)
 In October 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt toured America, campaigning
for the Presidency. In the face of the worst Depression America had ever
known, he offered hope, promising a New Deal for the America people. We
have nothing to fear, he'd declare, but fear itself. But how successful
would his New Deal prove in tackling the challenges ahead?
5.
Black America (23:42)
 America - the land of the free. .But in the early decades of the
twentieth century black Americans experienced a harsher side to this
"free" society. How real, for them, was the "American Dream"? |
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National Standards - Social Sciences – United States
History
NSS-USH.5-12.6
-
Understands
how the rise of corporations, heavy industry, and mechanized farming
transformed the American people
-
Understands
massive immigration after 1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts,
and ideas of national unity developed amid growing cultural diversity
-
Understands
the rise of the American labor movement and how political issues
reflected social and economic changes
NSS-USH.5-12.7
-
Understands
how Progressives and others addressed problems of industrial capitalism,
urbanization, and political corruption
-
Understands
how the United States changed from the end of World War I to the eve of
the Great Depression
NSS-USH.5-12.8
-
Understands
the causes of the Great Depression and how it affected American society
-
Understands
how the New Deal addressed the Great Depression, transformed American
federalism, and initiated the welfare state
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Between 1900 and 1917, eight million immigrants crossed the
Atlantic to start a new life in America. In this New World, it was said,
there was a chance for everyone to succeed, to prosper, to live the
American Dream. But how far could America fulfill such expectations?
In the early 1930's, the United States experienced the worst Depression
in her history; an economic slump which turned on its head the
prosperity of the 1920's. a slump in which 15 million Americans lost
their jobs. But what was it like, to live through this Great Depression?
In October 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt toured America, campaigning
for the Presidency. In the face of the worst Depression America had ever
known, he offered hope, promising a New Deal for the America people. We
have nothing to fear, he'd declare, but fear itself. But how successful
would his New Deal prove in tackling the challenges ahead?
