The Great Depression: An ERIC/ChESS Sample

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest and oldest education information system in the world. The ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education (ERIC/ChESS) is one of sixteen subject-oriented clear inghouses that compose the ERIC system. The heart of this system, the ERIC database of education-related literature, con tains nearly one million citations with abstracts, drawn from a variety of disciplines. Citations to journal articles, teaching and curriculum guides, bibliographies, research reports, and confer ence papers are included. The ERIC database is available free in many large public and university libraries and on the Internet. The listings below are drawn from the ERIC database and include both teaching materials and general background informa tion on the topic. The key to obtaining the full text of the materials cited below is the unique ERIC number assigned to each item in the database. Journal articles, denoted by "EJ" numbers (for example, EJ549890) can be copied at most academic libraries, borrowed through interlibrary loan, or purchased from article reprint services such as UnCover, UMI, and ISI. Research reports, conference papers, and other materials besides journal articles are denoted by "ED" numbers (for example, ED398110); paper or microfiche copies of most of these documents can be purchased from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852; (800) 443-3742; (703) 440-1400; ; ; or copied from an ERIC microfiche collection, avail able at many libraries. ERIC/ChESS welcomes requests for general information or sample database searches on topics within the social studies, social sciences, and music and art education. Contact ERIC/ChESS by telephone at (800) 266-3815 or (812) 855-3838, or by e-mail at . Background Information Brinkley, Alan. "The New Deal: An Overview." Social Education 60 (September 1996): 255-58. EJ534967. This ar ticle characterizes the New Deal as "the single most important twentieth-century episode in the creation of the modern Ameri can state." Brinkley discusses the astonishing range of legisla tive activity enacted to respond to the Great Depression and the ensuing political opposition. He frankly evaluates those programs that failed. Cohen, Robert. "Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Cries for Help from Depression Youth." Social Education 60 (September 1996): 271 76. EJ534971. Cohen personalizes the devastating effect of the Great Depression on young people through excerpts of letters sent to Eleanor Roosevelt. Young people across the country responded to the First Lady's efforts on behalf of the poor and dispossessed. The author also discusses the many relief and work programs created by the New Deal. Fogel, Jared A., and Robert L. Stevens. "The Safford, Arizona, Murals of Seymour Fogel: A Study in Artistic Controversy." Social Education 60 (September 1996): 287-91. EJ534976. Fogel and Stevens examine the controversy surrounding art works commis sioned by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Attempt ing to create work for depression-era artists, the WPA often commissioned murals for government buildings. The article recounts the experience of Seymour Fogel, whose positive portrayal of Native Americans ran contrary to racist senti ments in Safford, Arizona. Maney, Patrick J. "The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Congress, 1933-1945." OAH Magazine of History 12 (Summer 1998): 13-19. EJ572677. This article recounts the role of Congress in creating New Deal legislation. Maney argues that the impetus for many pieces of legislation came from Congress, not from President Roosevelt. He suggests that the story of