Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

My job today is to help guide you through our history resources in the lesson, and I'm gonna be working to make sure that by the end of our time together, you can securely meet our lesson objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the New Deal and World War II in the USA, where we are asking ourselves: How far did the American economy recover in the 1930s and 1940s? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain how popular culture developed in the 1930s in the USA.

There are two key words which will help us to navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are "Congress" and "escapism." The group of elected politicians responsible for passing laws in the USA are known as Congress and escapism refers to types of entertainment or imagination that help you to forget about your work and your problems. Today's lesson will be split into three parts and we'll begin by focusing on the New Deal and the arts.

The Great Depression affected artists badly, leaving many without jobs.

In 1929, New York's theatre district, known as Broadway, had employed more than 25,000 workers.

In 1933, only 4,000 of these people still had jobs.

President Roosevelt directed parts of the New Deal to help jobless artists, as he had done for other types of unemployed Americans.

The Work's Progress Administration, or the WPA, provided jobs for millions of unemployed Americans.

The WPA also oversaw Federal Project Number One, targeted specifically at artists.

It employed up to 40,000 artists during the 1930s and funded five main projects in visual art, music, theatre, writing, and historical surveys.

So, let's just reflect on what we've heard so far.

I want you to write the missing initials from the following sentence.

The "blank" ran Federal Project Number One to support unemployed artists.

So what are the missing initials from that sentence? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see what the right answer is.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the missing initials were WPA.

The Works Progress Administration, or the WPA, ran Federal Project Number One to support unemployed artist in the 1930s.

WPA artists completed a variety of work as part of Federal Project Number One.

Over 225,000 theatre and musical performances took place across the nation, often being free.

Music classes were provided for around 132,000 children and adults every single week.

And the American Guide Series was created, providing detailed guidebooks for every US state.

Other work undertaken by WPA artists included creating promotional material for federal agencies such as the National Parks.

A WPA poster for the National Parks can be seen on the screen.

So, let's make sure we've got a secure understanding of what we've heard so far.

We have a statement on the screen that says, "The WPA rarely provided artists with artistic projects to complete." Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that artists were able to secure funding from the WPA to complete whatever projects they wished to.

The second says that the WPA paid for artists to work on specified projects such as music tours or producing state guidebooks.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct justification was B.

The Work's Progress Administration paid for artists to work on specified projects such as putting on music tours or producing state guidebooks.

Critics argued that Federal Project Number One was a waste of money.

Other critics argued that with so many artists employed by the government, freedom of speech was under threat.

In 1939, after just four years, the US Congress cut off federal government funding for Federal Project Number One.

So, let's reflect on what we've just heard.

Which of the following was not a major motivation for Congressional opposition to Federal Project Number One? Was it concerns about freedom of speech, concerns about the quality of art, or concerns about costs? Remember, you are looking for the answer which was not a major motivation for Congressional opposition.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was B.

Members of Congress were not particularly worried about the quality of the art produced by those helped under Federal Project Number One, but they did suggest they were worried about the threats it might create to freedom of speech if artists were reliant on government money and they did suggest the whole thing was a waste of money.

They shared concerns about costs.

So, we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the New Deal and the arts into practise.

I want you to study the following statements.

Initially, the New Deal did not provide support specifically aimed at artists.

Federal Project Number One helped artists but had little impact on ordinary Americans.

The benefits of Federal Project Number One were widely accepted by politicians.

First, I want you to identify whether each of those statements is true or false, and then I want you to rewrite any of the false statements so that they are true.

You should provide extra detail to support those answers.

So, pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So, for the first part of Task A, I asked you to identify whether each statement was true or false.

"Initially, the New Deal did not provide support specifically aimed at artists" was a true statement.

"Federal Project Number One helped artists with little impact on ordinary Americans" was a false statement.

And "The benefits of Federal Project Number One were widely accepted by politicians" was also a false statement.

So for part two, it is our second and third statement which we needed to rewrite.

So your answers to question two may have included: "Federal Project Number One helped artists and also benefited ordinary Americans.

For example, 132,000 children and adults received music classes every week from musicians employed by the project." And: "The benefits of Federal Project Number One were not widely accepted by politicians.

Some called the project a waste of money and Congress cut off federal funding in 1939." So well done if your own answers look something like those models which we've just seen.

So now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson where we are going to focus on literature in the 1930s.

American literature flourished in the 1930s.

Traditional and popular types of literature proved successful, including novels, so, stories, and comic books.

The Great Depression had a significant impact on traditional literature, such as novels, in the 1930s.

Many authors were inspired to write about themes such as poverty and racism based on the social problems they witnessed.

In the late 1930s, John Steinbeck wrote multiple novels which portrayed the experiences of Americans struggling during the Great Depression.

For example, Steinbeck's book "The Grapes of Wrath" told the story of a farming family displaced by the Dust Bowl in the Midwest, whilst his later novel, "Of Mice and Men," also highlighted the hardships faced by migratory workers.

In other words, those people who had to move from place to place in search of work.

So, let's reflect on what we've just heard.

What type of characters did novels such as "The Grapes of Wrath" mainly focus on? Was it political leaders, rich business owners, Hollywood stars, or poor workers? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was D.

Novels such as John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" frequently focused on poor workers and their experiences with the Great Depression.

Comic books were published in growing numbers during the 1930s.

Comics were cheap to produce and could be sold at a low price, which helped make them accessible to a large audience.

However, the popularity of comics really boomed in 1938 when the first edition of "Action Comics" was published, including the first appearance of Superman.

The front cover of the first edition of "Action Comics" featuring Superman can be seen on the screen.

Other superhero comics appeared soon after, including the first Batman comic, in 1939.

Comics proved especially popular with young American audiences.

Aside from their low price, comics were brightly coloured, easy to read, and offered a form of escapism.

So, let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to write the missing word in the following sentence.

The main audience for comic books was "blank" Americans.

So what's the missing word? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the missing word was "young." The main audience for comic books was young Americans.

And let's try another question.

How did comics provide escapism for their readers? Was it that they usually focused on adventurous characters, that they usually focused on events in other countries, or that they're usually focused on social issues like racism? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was A.

Comics provided escapism for their readers by focusing on adventurous characters.

For example, in 1938, "Action Comics" introduced the character of Superman and their popularity really took off from that point.

And in 1939, the character of Batman first appeared in a comic, showing the popularity of superhero characters where people could think about their adventures rather than focusing on some of the problems and difficulties of their own lives.

So, we are now ready to put all of our knowledge and understanding of literature in the 1930s into practise.

I want you to study the claim which is being made on the screen.

It says, "All American literature in the 1930s was focused on the Great Depression and poverty." So, I want you to explain how historians can tell that the claim is not accurate.

You should include specific examples to support your answer.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So, we had the claim that said, "All American literature in the 1930s was focused on the Great Depression and poverty," and I asked you to explain how historians can tell that that claim is not accurate.

Your answer may have included, "Many authors did choose to write about the Great Depression, such as John Steinbeck in 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'Of Mice and Men.

' However, historians can tell the claim is not accurate because the Great Depression was just one of many themes in 1930s literature.

For example, comic books began to focus on escapism themes like superheroes such as Superman, who was introduced in 'Action Comics' in 1938." So well done if your own answer looks something like that model we've seen on the screen, especially if you were able to include multiple specific factual details to support your answer.

So now we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today where we are going to discuss music, movies, and radio in the 1930s.

Music, radio, and cinema all remained important parts of American popular culture during the 1930s.

Millions of Americans continued to enjoy these entertainments on a regular basis.

The Jazz Age lasted from the 1920s into the 1930s with a new style of jazz known as swing music growing in popularity.

The Great Depression did create some problems though.

Many jazz clubs, such as New York's Cotton Club, closed down.

As the number of club dates declined, some artists gave up jazz altogether.

Nevertheless, leading jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington, continued to sell large amounts of their records.

Most people listened to music over the radio.

Despite the Great Depression, radio ownership doubled from 40% of the US population in 1930 to 82% by 1940.

Radio was also used by Americans to listen to plays, sports, and news.

President Roosevelt even used radio to speak directly to Americans about his policies and the state of the country.

Roosevelt delivered 13 radio broadcasts, which he called fireside chats between 1933 and 1938.

These helped to build up trust in the president's actions and support for his leadership.

One of the reasons why radio continued to be so popular was because it acted as a form of escapism from the many problems Americans were experiencing during the Great Depression.

So, let's make sure we really understand what we were just thinking about.

We have a statement on the screen that says, "The Great Depression had very little impact on jazz musicians." Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that leading jazz artists like Duke Ellington remained successful, but many others had to give up jazz altogether.

And the second says that jazz clubs like New York's Cotton Club closed, meaning there was no work for any jazz musicians.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was A.

Leading jazz artists like Duke Ellington remained successful and continue to sell a large amount of records, but many other artists had to give up jazz altogether, especially because some popular venues, such as New York's Cotton Club, closed, meaning there were less opportunities for them to perform.

And let's try another question.

How did American radio ownership change between 1930 and 1940? Was it that it doubled, halved, or remained the same? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was A.

American radio ownership doubled between 1930 and 1940.

Whereas 40% of the US population owned a radio in 1930, this had risen to 82% by 1940, meaning that most Americans by the end of the 1930s had a radio of their own.

Cinema remained one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the 1930s.

Although cinema audiences initially fell by a third when the Great Depression began, attendance soon recovered.

Across the decade, an average of 85 million Americans per week went to the cinema.

Cinema tickets remained cheap, and for the low cost of admission, movies allowed viewers to escape to another world during the Great Depression.

Musicals and comedies were especially popular, as were historical dramas, horrors, and cartoons produced by the likes of Walt Disney.

Some movies such as "The Wizard of Oz," which was released in 1939, were even filmed in colour by the end of the 1930s.

So, let's make sure our understanding is really secure.

Which of these was not a reason for the continued popularity of cinemas in the 1930s? Was it because cinema tickets remained cheap, because films offered a form of escapism, or because there were few alternative entertainments? Remember, we are looking for the answer which was not a reason for the continued popularity of cinemas.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was C.

We know that there were alternative entertainments to cinema in the 1930s, for example, radio, which became increasingly widely owned.

But because tickets were cheap and films offered a form of escapism, cinema remained incredibly popular throughout the 1930s and the Great Depression.

So, we're now ready to put our knowledge into practise, and I want you to answer the following question: In what ways did popular culture develop in the USA during the 1930s? Write two paragraphs to explain different ways in which popular culture developed.

You may consider music, radio, cinema, literature, and the arts as part of your answer.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked you, "In what ways did popular culture develop in the USA during the 1930s?" And your answer may have included: "One development in popular culture in the USA during the 1930s was the growing importance of the radio.

News, sports, music, shows, and even fireside chats from President Roosevelt were all broadcast via radio.

At the same time, the number of American households which owned a radio doubled from 40 to 82% between 1930 and 1940.

This led to radio becoming even more popular and central to the way Americans received their entertainment and kept themselves informed." Your answer may also have included: "One development in popular culture in the USA during the 1930s was the growing role of the government in supporting the arts.

For example, in 1935, as part of the New Deal, the WPA began funding Federal Project Number One, which employed up to 40,000 jobless artists.

This project ensured that ordinary Americans could still access the arts during the Great Depression.

225,000 theatre and musical performances, which were often free, took place across the nation as part of Federal Project Number One.

Government funding was key to ensuring that many artists could still produce work and in helping make this accessible to ordinary Americans." And let's look at one further alternative answer which you could have written.

"One development in popular culture in the USA during the 1930s was the importance of escapism.

Many Americans suffered from poverty and hardship during the 1930s as a result of the Great Depression.

For example, whilst this initially led to a fall in cinema-going, attendance quickly rose again as people looked for a distraction from difficulties in their own lives.

Weekly attendance averaged 85 million during the 1930s.

Some American literature also encouraged escapism.

The rising popularity of comic books with young Americans was partly because they helped their readers to imagine a world of adventure that often differed greatly for their own experiences." So really well done if your own two paragraphs looked like any of those models which we've just seen.

And that means we've now reached the end of today's lesson, so we're in a good position to summarise our learning.

We've seen that the New Deal provided support to help jobless artists through Federal Project Number One.

Jazz remained popular during the 1930s, although many individual artists had to give up performing.

Radio ownership doubled in the 1930s.

Radios were a fundamental part of how Americans received both entertainment and news.

There was a wide range of literature, ranging from novels to comics, and cinemas remained a very popular form of entertainment, especially as movies offered a form of escapism during the Great Depression.

So, really well done for all of your work during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources and I look forward to seeing you again in the future as we think further about America in the 1930s and 1940s as it moved through the New Deal years and towards those which were marked by the Second World War.