Title: Hard Times: Americans Living the Great Depression

Grade Level(s): 6-8
Time Frame: 2-3 days
Subject Matter: Language Arts/Social Studies

Teacher Information:
Name: Delicia C. Harris, Anjanette White
Lincoln Middle School
AAM affiliation (Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville)

Lesson plan description and rationale:

This lesson will illustrate the social problems African Americans encountered during the Great Depression via songs, poetry, and text.  Students must understand that even though all Americans suffered economically during the Great Depression, African Americans had to deal with social ills, such as lynching, discrimination, and segregation. 

Illinois Learning Standards/ Benchmark or Descriptor:

Goal 2.A.3a:  Students will be able to identify and analyze a variety of literary techniques (e.g. figurative language, dialogue, description, word choice, dialect) within classical and contemporary works representing a variety of genres.

Goal 16.A.3b:  To make inferences about historical events and eras using historical maps and other historical sources.

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to understand the plight of African Americans during the Great Depression.
2. Students will be able to analyze lyrics and identify the song’s subject.
3. Students will be able to compare and contrast the lyrics of songs written by African American and Caucasian performers during the Great Depression.
4. Students will be able to identify the theme and tone of interviews, prints, and letters written during the Great Depression.

Resources:

Harburg, Yip. “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime.” 1931. http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/cherries.html

Holiday, Billie. “Strange Fruit.” 1938. http://www.cultural-expressions.com/poetry/strangefruit.htm

	Roosevelt, Eleanor. “Letter, Eleanor Roosevelt to Walter White detailing the First Lady's lobbying efforts for federal action against lynchings” 19 March 1936. Words and Deeds in American History: Celebrating the Manuscript’s Division First 100 years. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mcc:@field (DOCID+@lit(mcc/015)) (April 2004).
	Report of Anti-lynching Committee.” 21 January 1921. NAACP Collection.  http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=ody_mssmisc& fileName=ody/ody0707/ody0707page.db&recNum=0)) [mssmisc ody0707] (April 2004).
	“The corpse of Clyde Johnson.” 1935. Without Sanctuary.  http://www.musarium.com/withoutsanctuary/pics_01.html (April 2004).
	“The lynching of Rubin Stacy.” 1935. Without Sanctuary.  http://www.musarium.com/withoutsanctuary/pics_51.html (April 2004).

Methods:

Anticipatory Set:

1. Students will be asked to discuss what the Great Depression meant for Americans.  They will be asked the questions:
• What social effects did the Great Depression have on the lives of most Americans?
• How were families affected by the Great Depression? Children?
• Think about the social and economic effects of the Great Depression.  Do you think the effects were the same for blacks as they were for white Americans? How do you think foreigners were affected?

2. Next, students will be given the lyrics and will listen to two songs written during the Great Depression. The first song is written by Billie Holiday, an African-American performer, and the other song is written by Yip Harburg.  Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” describes the horror of lynching, whereas Harburg’s song is reminiscent of life before the Great Depression.  Students will be asked to analyze the lyrics as well as the differences in mood and subject of the two songs. Students will be reminded that writers and authors often write from their experiences and will be asked the questions:
• Why did the performers write the songs and how do you think these songs reflect the performers’ experiences?
• What are the themes and the subjects of songs?
• How do you feel after listening to the songs?

3. Students will be given a copy of a letter written by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1936.  After reading the letter, students will discuss the government’s view of lynching and why no anti-lynching laws were implemented.

4. Third, students will be given a copy of the NAACP’s Anti-lynching Committee’s report from 1921, paying close attention to pages three and four. On these pages, there is a break-down of the manner of lynching and the states where the lynching took place. Students will then discuss the horror of lynching and why lynching took place. 

5. Lastly, students will be given graphic photos of lynching victims.  After viewing these photos, students will discuss how they feel and what measures can be taken to prevent lynching.

Evaluation:

Assessment 1: Students will create a Venn diagram comparing Billie Holiday’s song, “Strange Fruit” with Yip Harburg’s, “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?”

Assessment 2:  Student’s will write a persuasive letter to their state representative explaining the importance of passing anti-lynching laws.  In this letter, students should use data from the NAACP report and their own response to the lynching photos.