Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 11
AQA

Effects of the Great Depression on American society

I can evaluate the effects of the Great Depression on different groups in American society.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 11
AQA

Effects of the Great Depression on American society

I can evaluate the effects of the Great Depression on different groups in American society.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Business failures, unemployment, poverty and homelessness were common hardships faced during the Great Depression.
  2. Different groups experienced the bust years differently.
  3. The very rich often retained more of their wealth than poorer Americans.
  4. African Americans and people of Mexican heritage generally experienced greater hardship than the average American.

Keywords

  • Mortgage - a mortgage is money that you borrow from the bank to buy a home

  • Sharecropper - a sharecropper was a farmer who rented a small area of land from a landowner; they had to give a share of the crops they grew to their landlord

Common misconception

All groups in America experienced increased hardship as a result of the Great Depression.

Increased hardship was the most common experience during the Great Depression but there still gains for some groups: overall female employment increased and some Americans, such as Hollywood stars, were still able to become very wealthy.


To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Effects of the Great Depression on American society, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Direct students to interviews with Americans during the Great Depression. As part of learning cycle 2, students should identify similarities and differences between these experiences of the Great Depression. Ask students to attempt to explain any differences they identify.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word (beginning with R). Food, money or services provided to people in need is called .
Correct Answer: relief, Relief
Q2.
Who was president at the time that the Great Depression began?
Calvin Coolidge
Correct answer: Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Q3.
Why was the Hawley-Smoot tariff a problem?
It taxed American businesses.
It encouraged businesses to overproduce.
Correct answer: It led Europeans to increase their own tariffs.
Q4.
What did the Bonus Army ask for in 1932?
a change in government
new jobs in the US Army
a revolution
Correct answer: early payment of war pensions
Q5.
How did Hoover's idea of 'rugged individualism' affect his initial response to the Great Depression?
It led him to fund extensive public works programmes.
Correct answer: It led him to avoid providing much government support.
It led him fund education programmes to help each American.
Q6.
Starting with earliest, sort the following steps to explain how Roosevelt planned to help the economy recover.
1 - increase government funding for public works.
2 - New jobs generated in areas such as construction.
3 - People have more money to spend.
4 - Businesses sell more and can begin to grow again.
5 - Employment rises further.
6 - US economy recovers from the Great Depression.

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. A was a farmer who rented a small area of land from a landowner; they had to give a share of the crops they grew to their landlord
Correct Answer: sharecropper, share cropper, share-cropper, Sharecropper, Share-cropper
Q2.
How did unemploymnet in the USA change betweeb 1929 and 1933?
It halved.
It doubled.
It became four times greater.
Correct answer: It became eight times greater.
Q3.
Which group constantly travelled from place to place in search of work during the Depression?
Correct answer: hobos
sharecroppers
speculators
Q4.
Which statement is most accurate about conditions during the Great Depression?
Female unemployment and pay was worse than it was for men.
Correct answer: Female pay was worse than men's but women suffered less from unemployment.
Females suffered less from unemployment than men and enjoyed better pay.
Female unemployment was worse than men's but women were paid better.
Q5.
Based on the experience of Mae West, which conclusion is most valid?
Correct answer: The very rich continued to prosper during the Great Depression.
The very rich lost almost all of their wealth during the Great Depression.
The very rich suffered worse than most Americans during the Great Depression.
The very rich suffered similarly to most Americans during the Great Depression.
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following to explain why many people of Mexican heritage were deported from the USA during the Great Depression.
1 - Businesses struggle, reducing job opportunities.
2 - Unemployment grows.
3 - Jobless workers look for someone to blame.
4 - People of Mexican heritage are accused of 'stealing' jobs from other Americans.
5 - Deportations begin.