Culture of the Great Depression

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Culture of the Great Depression
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Eleanor Roosevelt

• President Roosevelts wife
• Urged extra support for women and minorities

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Francis Perkins

• Appointed by Roosevelt
• First female appointed to the presidential cabinet

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Notable African American Women

• Mary McLeod Bethune established the black
  cabinet, headed up the National Youth
  Association, and advised Roosevelt on racial
  issues
• Marion Anderson performed at Lincoln Memorial
  which was arranged by Eleanor Roosevelt

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Gone with the Wind

• Movie
• Based during the Civil War Era
• Offered an escape from the times
• One of the most popular films in American history

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

• Movie
• Frank Capra (director) and James Stewart
• Movie about a man going to Washington, DC
• About overcoming hard times and adversity

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The War of the Worlds

• Radio broadcast by Orson Welles
• Adapted from a novel
• People actually thought that aliens had landed on
  Earth
• Provided entertainment

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Its a Wonderful Life

• Also by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart
• Idea of courage and sacrifice for the greater
  good and that everything will work out

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The Wizard of Oz

• Judy Garland starred as Dorothy
• Fantasy film to escape reality
• Parable about Populism
• Dorothy commoner
• Tin Man industrial worker
• Wicked Witches bankers
• Yellow Brick Road Gold Standard
• Emerald City Washington
• Cowardly Lion William Jennings Bryan
• Oz ounces of gold
• Scarecrow farmers
• Munchkins down-trodden people
• Silver slippers silver/bimetallism standard

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

• Animated movie
• By Disney
• 1st full length animated film
• Offered escape from the times

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Literature

• Native Son
• a novel by Richard Wright
• about an African-American trying to make it in a
  racist world
• Grapes of Wrath
• a novel by John Steinbeck
• about Okies during Dust Bowl who leave to
  migrate west to try to find work

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Other Cultural Arts

• American Gothicpainting by Grant Wood, very
  well-known piece of American Art, showed
  traditional role of men (hard labor) and the
  traditional role of women (domesticity)

Soap Operas Open-ended drama on the radio ------------- Got name because they were sponsored by soap companies Broadcasts aimed at women to help them escape the common drudgery of being a housewife
Children Programs, Comedy, and Variety Shows Offered family friendly entertainment Bob Hope (variety shows) Marx Brothers, George Burns and Jack Benny Aimed to provide entertainment and an escape from the times
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• Other Facts to Know
• Art and Literature often depicted the reality of
  the time period, while radio entertainment and
  movies tried to offer an escape from Great
  Depression.
• By late 1930s, 65 of population going to movies
  at least once a week!
• African-Americans will move their support (for
  the first time) to the Democratic party.
• The New Deal comes to an end
• By 1937 there had been some relief, so the govt
  pulled back funding and things began to get
  worse. Likewise, as New Deal didnt solve the
  depression, opposition to it grew. International
  affairs (World War II) begin to take priority.
  Regardless, the New Deal still has a great legacy
  and helped American begin to recover from the
  Great Depression.

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Review Questions

• Name
• _____________________________________

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• Which statement best describes the type of
  entertainment movie audiences enjoyed in the
  1930s?
• Comedies and Gangster films
• Documentaries about the New Deal
• True stories that dealt with the realities of the
  Depression
• People were too poor to afford going to the movies

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• 2. How did the governments role in society
  change during the New Deal?
• It shifted more responsibilities to states
• It took a more active role in shaping the economy
• It reduced controls over big businesses
• It stated out of labor disputes

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• 3. Why was the Black Cabinet important to the
  Roosevelt administration?
• It gave FDR advice on racial issues
• It provided African Americans with a voice
• It gave African Americans access to the highest
  levels of government
• All of the above

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• 4. Why were movies so popular during the
  Depression?
• They were expensive, so they became a luxury
  item
• They showed America as it truly was during the
  Depression
• Movies provided escapist comedies and romances,
  helping people cope with the Depression
• People did not know how to read books

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• 5. Why did the New Deal fund art projects?
• No one else would buy art and it created jobs
• New Deal officials believed art played an
  important role in the life of Americans
• Public buildings desperately needed artwork to
  liven up the walls
• All of the above

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• 6. How did the literature of the time reflect
  issues of the Depression?
• It didnt, people used it as a way to enter a
  fantasy world
• FDR told the writers what to say in their books
• It showed the happy side of the Depression
• Writers depicted the difficulties of the
  Depression Era

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7. Which person was the first woman to be
appointed to the Presidential Cabinet?

1. Mary McLeod Bethune
2. Eleanor Roosevelt
3. Marion Anderson
4. Francis Perkins

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8. Which of the following was NOT a popular movie
during the Great Depression?

1. Gone with the Wind
2. War of the Worlds
3. The Wizard of Oz
4. Its a Wonderful Life

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• 9. His famous painting, American Gothic, depicts
  two stern-faced farmers standing stiffly in front
  of their farmhouse.
• Grant Wood
• Orson Welles
• Richard Wright
• John Collier

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• True or False
• 10. Roosevelts New Deal for the people helped
  solve the Great Depression.
• 11. The Grapes of Wrath was a novel by Richard
  Wright that depicted the trials and tribulations
  of the Dust Bowl.
• 12. Soap Operas, Variety Shows, and Childrens
  shows were broadcast almost daily on the radio
  during the Great Depression.

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• True or False
• 13. Marion Anderson led the NYA and helped
  establish the Black Cabinet.
• 14. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was a popular
  movie during the Great Depression that was also a
  parable about Populism.
• 15. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first
  full length animated film.