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Unit 4 – The Roaring 20s and the Great Depression Overview
Grade Range: High School
Subject: U.S. History
Estimated Time: Two Weeks
Unit Four of A People’s Playlist with Music as a Primary Source includes five lessons that cover the periods of the 1920s and the Great Depression.
The Unit begins with an introduction activity where students explore what music might reveal about the time period through the analysis of 1920s sheet music and recordings from the Library of Congress.
The first lesson explores the Roaring 20s through the lens of Warren G. Harding’s promise of a “return to normalcy” after World War I. In the lesson, students brainstorm what characteristics define “normal” and “abnormal” times in a society’s history. Then, students will participate in a Café Conversation where they adopt the roles of 1920s musicians, actors, activists, businessmen, and politicians in order to examine what types of people benefited from Harding’s “return to normalcy” approach.
In the second lesson, students will investigate the factors behind the Great Migration on the Harlem Renaissance by identifying how the New Negro Movement challenged racial stereotypes by showcasing the talent, pride and creativity of Black Americans. Blues musicians Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, and Ma Rainey are used throughout the lesson to exemplifies the characteristics of the “New Negro” concept.
The third lesson asks students to examine the comforting role music plays during troubling times like the Great Depression through the active listening of Blues and Jazz songs from the time period. Students will also determine what the causes of the Great Depression were through an interactive scenario about the stock market, bank runs, unemployment and life during the Great Depression.
The fourth lesson centers around the Dust Bowl disaster of the 1930s. Students will first differentiate between natural and environmental disasters, then they will analyze Woody Guthrie songs and primary sources to identify the causes and impact of this disaster. The lesson concludes with the opportunity to write a song about modern day climate change.
The final lesson analyzes the impact, reaction to, and effectiveness of New Deal programs on the Great Depression. Students will assess two sets of songs, the first set praising New Deal programs while the second set of songs are more critical of the programs. They will then use primary sources and Supreme Court cases to explain the praise and critiques of the New Deal.
The unit assessment asks students what they would post on social media if they lived during the 1920s and the Great Depression to demonstrate their understanding of the unit.
lesson:
The Roaring 1920s featuring Josephine Baker, George Gershwin, and Harry Pace
How did the economic and political policies of the 1920s affect American businesspeople, cultural figures, politicians, and activists?
lesson:
The Harlem Renaissance featuring Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith
How did the Harlem Renaissance represent the New Negro Movement, and what role did music play in this context?
lesson:
The Great Depression featuring Blues and Jazz songs of the 1930s
Why did the Great Depression happen and what can songs from the time period tell us about its impact?
lesson:
The Dust Bowl Featuring the Songs of Woody Guthrie
What was the Dust Bowl and how did Woody Guthrie’s songs describe Americans’ experience of the disaster?
lesson:
The New Deal Featuring Blues, Country, and Folk Songs
What impact did the New Deal have on the United States during the Great Depression, what is the legacy of the New Deal, and how did songs reflect different feelings Americans had about the New Deal?