Great Depression: People and Perspectives

by Hamilton Cravens

Overview

An insightful collection of essays focused on American men, women, and children from a range of economic classes and ethnic backgrounds during the Great Depression.

Who were the people waiting in the bread lines and living in Hoovervilles? Who were the migrants heading North and West? Did anyone survive the Depression relatively unscathed? Giving a voice to stories often untold, Great Depression: People and Perspectives covers the full spectrum of American life, portraying the experiences of ordinary citizens during the worst economic crisis in the nation's history.

Great Depression shows how specific groups coped with the traumatic upheaval of the times, including rural Americans, women, children, African Americans, and immigrants. In addition, it offers revealing chapters on the conflict between social scientists and policymakers responding to the crisis, the impact of the Depression on the health of U.S. citizens, and the roles that American technology and Hollywood movies played in helping the nation survive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598840933
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/14/2009
Series:	Perspectives in American Social History
Pages:	275
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Hamilton Cravens is Professor of History at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. His published works include Ideas in American Culture and Before Head Start: The Iowa Station and America's Children.

Table of Contents

Series Introduction vii

Introduction xi

About the Editor and Contributors xxiii

Chronology xxv

Part 1 American Society and Culture in the Age of the Great Depression

1 The Great Depression in the Countryside Derek Scott Oden 3

2 Coming of Age in the 1930s Kriste Lindenmeyer 23

3 "Make Do or Do Without": Women during the Great Depression Jennifer Barker-Devine 45

4 Medicine and the Family in the 1930s Philip L. Frana 65

5 Immigration in a Time of Depression: The United States, 1931-1940 Roger Daniels 85

6 The Worst of Times: African Americans during the Great Depression Albert S. Broussard 105

7 The Scripts of Racial Segregation in New Deal America Ben Keppel 127

Part 2 American Culture in the Age of the Great Depression

8 The Role of the Group in New Deal Planning George T. McJimsey 145

9 When Numbers Failed: Social Scientists, Modernity, and the New Cities of the 1920s and 1930s Alan I Marcus 165

10 Spectacle, Symbol, Strain, and Showpiece: American Technology in the 1930s Amy Sue Bix 185

11 Hollywood Movies and the American Community Charles M. Dobbs 207

Primary Documents 227

Reference 249

Bibliography 257

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

This resource can be recommended for high school and college libraries that support courses on American history . . . the perspective provided by this volume deserves a place in a comprehensive history collection.” —ARBAonline

“This well-rounded collection of essays provides an informative overview of life during the Great Depression. It is most appropriate for high school collections and libraries catering to undergraduate students.” —Library Jourbanal

“Reviewed with Civil War: People and Perspectives

"Rather than highlighting politics or battles, these titles focus on how individuals and groups–including women, youth, African Americans, Native Americans, and various religious minorities–fared and were shaped by events during significant periods in American history. In addition to the attention to diverse groups, chapters in Great Depression explore the myriad problems faced in urban areas versus the countryside, and the impact of both technology and Hollywood movies during the 1930s. Civil War includes essays on soldiers, civilians, immigrants, and cities. Chapters in each volume are well researched, well documented, and individually authored. Informative sidebars will pique readers' interest in lesser-known personalities, while the substantial number of primary sources appended to each volume will allow advanced researchers the opportunity to explore topics in more depth."” —School Library Jourbanal

“This reference for general readers and students in high school and up gives voice to American men, women, and children from a range of economic classes and ethnic backgrounds during the Great Depression. . . . Topics in the series are selected to fit curricular standards for both high school history classes and undergraduate American history courses. An emphasis on social history brings historical analysis into the classroom, while still focusing on topics that will engage students.” —Reference & Research Book News

“Recommended.” —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

This one-volume entry in ABC-CLIO's well-known "Perspectives in American Social History" covers the experiences of ordinary citizens during the Great Depression and how they dealt with the hardships. Edited by Cravens (history, Iowa State Univ.), who has published widely on the history of science and technology in American culture, the volume is divided into two sections, though the differentiation seems fairly minor. Part 1, "American Society and Culture in the Age of the Great Depression," places an emphasis on groups within the American society, including women, young people, immigrants, minorities, farmers, and families. Part 2, "American Culture in the Great Depression," comprises essays on New Deal planning, technology, the film industry, and urban planning, to name a few. Each section contains essays written by scholars of the era, which examine an aspect of American society or culture during the Great Depression. Each essay runs approximately 20 pages in length and is supplemented with illustrations and lists of references. The volume also includes an introduction, a chronology, a bibliography, an index, a dictionary of terms, and a collection of primary documents. BOTTOM LINE This well-rounded collection of essays provides an informative overview of life during the Great Depression. It is most appropriate for high school collections and libraries catering to undergraduate students.—Ryan Johnson, Oxford, MI

Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Rather than highlighting politics or battles, these titles focus on how individuals and groups—including women, youth, African Americans, Native Americans, and various religious minorities—fared and were shaped by events during significant periods in American history. In addition to the attention to diverse groups, chapters in Great Depression explore the myriad problems faced in urban areas versus the countryside, and the impact of both technology and Hollywood movies during the 1930s. Civil War includes essays on soldiers, civilians, immigrants, and cities. Chapters in each volume are well researched, well documented, and individually authored. Informative sidebars will pique readers' interest in lesser-known personalities, while the substantial number of primary sources appended to each volume will allow advanced researchers the opportunity to explore topics in more depth. Black-and-white archival photographs and occasional charts are included.—Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA

School Library Journal