The New Deal

Dorothy Williamson was hired as a social worker, trained by the federal government, and dispatched to Southeastern Colorado. Listen to her first-person account of the experiences she had speaking with victims of the Dust Bowl. What help there was came from Washington, D.C., with programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC), National Youth Administration (NYA), and Works Progress Administration (WPA). Learning Objective:  Students will: Understand how every family member was expected to help provide for the family during the Dust Bowl; Analyze and evaluate how the New Deal projects eased some of the economic burdens on families affected by the Dust Bowl.

In 1935, 850 million acres of topsoil were swept off the Great Plains, with more dust storms to come. As the crisis grew worse, President Franklin Roosevelt's inner circle fought to save the land and the people. Learning Objective: Students will: Analyze and evaluate the federal government’s response to the Dust Bowl; Discuss the formation of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and Resettlement Administration (RA); Evaluate the effects of the FSA and RA on the afflicted population.

In the summer of 1936, President Roosevelt took a whistle-stop tour across the Midwest and Northern Plains to see the crisis himself. He inspired enthusiastic but weary audiences. At the same time, Hugh Bennett, head of the Soil Conservation Service, began instituting his program of agricultural reform and offered incentives to farmers willing to adopt new farming methods. Learning Objective: Students will understand and analyze the government’s attempts to reform agricultural processes in the Great Plains to prevent further damage to the land.

By 1937, Dust Bowl farmers had asked the government for help in regulating the land by forcing other farmers to take better care of their soil. It was a substantial, ideological turnaround for many farmers who had previously demonstrated independence and suspicion of the government. Learning Objective: Students will analyze and evaluate to what extent should government(s) [local, state, federal] intercede in businesses and livelihoods during times of crisis or disaster.

President Roosevelt and his Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace developed programs to help drought-ravaged farmers, but were unsure of how effective those programs would be. During a trip to North Dakota, Roosevelt pledged, "If it is possible for us to solve the problem, we are going to do it." Learning Objective: Students will understand how the unique challenges of the Dust Bowl affected government response to the crisis.

Raymond Huff, Superintendent of Schools of Union County, hired the entire town to build the new high school gymnasium in Clayton, NM. He used the Works Progress Administration to save the county. Learning Objective: Students will analyze how local governments responded to the Dust Bowl crisis.

In the mid-1930s, the southern Plains were gripped by drought, high winds, and massive dust storms that threatened the health and safety of tens of thousands of people. To aid in the crisis, the Roosevelt administration was willing to experiment, see what worked, abandon what didn't and move on. But these solutions sometimes ran afoul with political opponents who felt government shouldn’t step in or objected to the cost, or felt the solutions didn’t go far enough. Groups affected by the Dust Bowl had varied views about how to solve the problems, but which solution provided the most effective remedy? How could different groups deliberate a common solution? In the activities contained within this media gallery, students will work in groups, representing different views on what policy to implement to address the problems of the Dust Bowl, and develop collaborative solutions to address these problems. Lesson Objectives: The student will: Analyze liberal and conservative political philosophies Describe the views of various groups regarding the causes and solutions for Dust Bowl problems Develop strategies to effectively work with persons with other views and political philosophies Develop collaboration and cooperation skills to develop effective solutions

In the mid-1930s, the southern Plains were gripped by drought, high winds, and massive dust storms that threatened the health and safety of tens of thousands of people. To aid in the crisis, the Roosevelt administration was willing to experiment, see what worked, abandon what didn't and move on. But these solutions sometimes ran afoul with political opponents who felt government shouldn’t step in or objected to the cost, or felt the solutions didn’t go far enough. Groups affected by the Dust Bowl had varied views about how to solve the problems, but which solution provided the most effective remedy? How could different groups deliberate a common solution? In this gallery, students will view four segments from Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl that explore the Dust Bowl, New Deal programs, and government relief and reform during the Great Depression. Students will answer questions and complete the corresponding activity sheets. Lesson Objectives: The student will: Analyze liberal and conservative political philosophies Describe the views of various groups regarding the causes and solutions for Dust Bowl problems Complete activity sheets related to information shared in four segments from Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl

With better weather, the suitcase farmers returned and the same process that caused the Dust Bowl started again in the 1940s. What lessons can we take from what happened in the Dust Bowl? Learning Objective: Students will understand the lessons learned from the Dust Bowl and how man-made disasters are still a possibility in America today.