Objectives—Students will: Examine the effects of the Great Depression using a Fireside Chat of FDR sources. Explore the connection between domestic and international events. Handouts FDR’s Fireside Chat, September 6, 1936 Audio FDR’s Fireside Chat, September 6, 1936 In the Classroom 1. Focus Question Write the question “Was the Great Depression a threat to American […]
How did the United States move from isolation to international leadership in a generation?
Purchase
First edition. June 2006.
Today it is difficult for many students to imagine the tremendous debate in the United States about how to respond to Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The debate lasted until the attack on Pearl Harbor and divided Congress, families, and neighbors. Using diverse primary sources and readings, students consider the impact of the end of World War I, the Great Depression, and the challenges to liberal democracy from international socialism and fascism. Students recreate the competing ideas at play in the United States in a role play of the debate in Congress over the Lend-Lease Act.
Readings
The readings examine the domestic and international legacies of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Students also explore the impact of the Great Depression, the leadership of Franklin Roosevelt and the U.S. response to the gathering storm in Asia and Europe. The epilogue reviews FDR’s legacy and the end of isolationism.
LESSONS
The Great Depression
Students examine photographs, a Robert Frost poem, one of FDR's Fireside Chats, a series of graphs, and directed questions help gain a broad understanding of the Great Depression and its effects.Political Geography of the Interwar Period
Students identify major geographical landmarks and connect them to historical events.Between World Wars
After constructing a timeline, students examine cause and effect relationships between historical events and consider relationships among the United States, Europe, and Asia.Role-Playing the Three Options
Working cooperatively to advocate for one of the three options the Senate considered regarding the Lend-Lease Bill, students draw upon primary sources to recreate this critical moment in history.Listening to FDR
Students listen to Roosevelt's 1941 'Four Freedoms' Speech and analyze its immediate and long-term implications.
MATERIALS
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Japanese expansion in Asia between 1936-1940
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Blank map of the world used in the optional lesson.
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Fireside Chat- September 6, 1936. (3:51)
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Speaking on September 3, 1939 about the beginning of World War II in Europe. (12:45)
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"Arsenal of Democracy" speech. (37:38)
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Speaking out against U.S. involvement in a European war (9:15)
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Excerpt from "Four Freedoms" speech for use in the Day five lesson. (4:11)
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Speech after Pearl Harbor. (4:47)
Supplemental Resources
Additional reference material for added context and support.
BOOKS
Beard, Charles. President Roosevelt and the Coming of War, 1941: Appearance and Realities. (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2003). 614 pages.
Jonas, Manfred. Isolationism in America, 1935-1941. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1966). 315 pages.
Langer, William L. and S. Everett Gleason. The Challenge to Isolation, 1937-1940. (New York: Council on Foreign Relations, 1952). 794 pages.
Minear, Richard. Dr. Suess Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Suess Geisel. (New York: New Press, 1999). 272 pages.
Neu, Charles. The Troubled Encounter: The United States and Japan. (New York: Wiley, 1975). 257 pages.
WEB LINKS
Collection of FDR’s speeches in text and audio format
Twelve hours of interviews with ordinary Americans on the attack on Pearl Harbor
Collection of 160,000 images from the Great Depression through World War II
Information on America First that includes some of Lindbergh’s speeches in audio and text format