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DocsTeachThe online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives National Archives Foundation National Archives

The New Deal: Revolution or Reform?

Weighing the Evidence

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The New Deal: Revolution or Reform?

About this Activity

  • Created by:National Archives Education Team
  • Historical Era:The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
  • Thinking Skill:Historical Analysis & Interpretation
  • Bloom's Taxonomy:Evaluating
  • Grade Level:High School
Start Activity
Please use a tablet or desktop computer to use this activity.
Students will analyze primary sources related to the New Deal. Students will analyze specific documents to determine if overall the New Deal represents a revolution or a reform in our history.

This lesson was originally created as a sample topic for the 2011-2012 National History Day (NHD) theme: Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.
https://www.docsteach.org/activities/student/the-new-deal-revolution-or-reform

Suggested Teaching Instructions

Learning Objectives

This activity asks students to analyze a series of primary sources and categorize whether the document helps support a thesis of the New Deal as a revolution or the New Deal as a reform.

For grades 6-12. Approximate time needed is 60-90 minutes.

Instructions

1. As a warmup activity, discuss definitions of the terms revolution and reform. Create a
definition for each term using information provided by students.

As you create the definitions, ask students to consider the following questions:

  • What other topics have students studied that were called revolutions?
  • What other topics have students studied that were called reforms?
  • What makes a change revolutionary as opposed to a reform?
  • Does it concern the significance of the change?
  • How quickly changed occurred?
  • How long lasting the change was?

Encourage students to think about their responses to these questions throughout this activity.

2. Divide students into small groups. Present the activity to the class so that students can see all of the documents on screen at once. Model careful document analysis with one of the documents.

3. Explain that, in their groups, they will analyze each individual document before moving it to the scale. Instruct students to write a list of specific evidence supporting either revolution or reform for each document.

4. Demonstrate how the scale works.  Explain to students that they will place the photograph and textual documents on the scale based on their careful document analysis.

5. Following the activity, conduct a class discussion based on the questions found after clicking "When You're Done" (or ask students to reflect on these in small groups or in writing).
  • Which documents were placed where? Why?
  • Which documents were given greater weight? Why?
  • What historical conclusions did you draw about the New Deal?


Find more teaching activities and documents related to National History Day topics on the DocsTeach National History Day page. Find more NHD resources from the National Archives.

For more information about the featured documents, follow the links below.

Documents in this activity

  • National Labor Relations Act
  • Tennessee Valley Authority Act
  • Annual Report, Civilian Conservation Corps Activities, 1938 Fiscal Year, National Park Service Region IV.
  • Civilian Conservation Corps Act
  • Fireside Chat on the Banking Crisis
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address
  • Letter from Harry Fein Supporting the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  • Map of the Tennessee Valley Authority
  • Photograph of the Boulder Dam from Across the Colorado River
  • Photograph of Works Progress Administration Worker Receiving Paycheck
  • Public Works Administration Project, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Dam in Oregon, Columbia River, "Spillway."
  • Social Security Act
  • Telegram from C.F. Giraud Opposing the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  • Telegram from Russellville Chamber of Commerce Supporting Federal Bank Deposit Insurance
  • WPA: Federal Theater Project:actors rehearsing scenes from the production "Brother Mose" in Newark, New Jersey

CC0
To the extent possible under law, National Archives Education Team has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to "The New Deal: Revolution or Reform?".

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