Causes of the Depression
Life during the Depression
Hoover vs. FDR
New Deal Program
Challenges and Criticism
100

What does it mean to "buy on margin"?

Buying stocks with only a small down payment, borrowing the rest.

100

What nickname was given to shantytowns built by homeless people during the Depression?


Hoovervilles.

100

Which president believed in "rugged individualism" and limited government intervention?

Herbert Hoover.

100

What were the three “R’s” of the New Deal?

Relief, Recovery, Reform.

100

What was FDR’s controversial plan to gain more influence over the Supreme Court?

The Court-packing plan (adding more justices).

200

Which day is known as Black Tuesday, when the stock market crashed?

October 29, 1929.

200

What natural disaster hit the Great Plains during the 1930s, forcing many families to migrate west?

The Dust Bowl.

200

Which large public works project was started during Hoover’s presidency?

The Hoover Dam.

200

What did the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) do?

  • Gave young men jobs planting trees, building parks, and conservation work.

200

Who was the Catholic priest who criticized FDR and wanted the government to take over banks?

Father Charles Coughlin.

300

Explain how overproduction of consumer goods contributed to the Depression.

Factories made more goods than people could afford, leading to falling prices and layoffs.

300

Migrants from Oklahoma heading to California during the Dust Bowl were nicknamed what?

Okies.

300

What did FDR call his plan to end the Depression?

The New Deal.

300

What program provided old-age pensions and unemployment insurance?

The Social Security Act.

300

What did Huey Long promise to every American family in his “Share Our Wealth” program?

$5,000 per family by heavily taxing the rich.

400

What was one effect of U.S. tariffs on international trade during the 1930s?

Foreign nations retaliated with tariffs, shrinking world trade.

400

Name one way churches or charities tried to help people during the Depression.

Soup kitchens and breadlines.

400

What famous line did FDR say in his inaugural address to reassure the nation?

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

400

Which New Deal program built dams to provide electricity in the Tennessee Valley?

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

400

Why did the Liberty League accuse FDR of being a “traitor to his class”?

They thought he gave too much power to government and turned against wealthy elites.

500

Identify and explain at least two "shaky banking methods" that worsened the Depression.

Banks made risky loans, invested depositors’ money in unsound investments, and lacked regulation.

500

How did authors like John Steinbeck and photographers like Dorothea Lange document the hardships of the Dust Bowl?

Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath; Lange took powerful photographs of migrant families.

500

Explain one major philosophical difference between Hoover’s and FDR’s approach to government in the economy.

Hoover supported limited government (laissez-faire); FDR believed government should actively help the economy and people.

500

Explain why the Supreme Court declared the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) and National Recovery Administration (NRA) unconstitutional.

They gave the president powers not granted in the Constitution (violated separation of powers).

500

In Schechter v. U.S., why did the Supreme Court rule against FDR’s New Deal programs?

It ruled Congress couldn’t give legislative powers to the president, making some programs unconstitutional.