Lesson Plan World War II Posters and Propaganda Art, Government and Civics Click here to download this four-lesson unit.
Lesson Plan Late 19th- and Early 20th-Century Immigration and Migration: Pairing Text and Visual Materials Art 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Click to download this five-lesson unit.
Spotlight on: Primary Source John Philip Sousa critiques modern music, 1930 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), an American composer of classical music, served as the director of the United States Marine Band from 1880 to 1892. During Sousa’s time as leader of "The President’s Own," as the band was called, he...
Spotlight on: Primary Source Civilian Conservation Corps poster, 1938 Art, Economics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ The Civilian Conservation Corps directly addressed two of the most pressing problems during the Depression: male youth unemployment and environmental degradation. The CCC, based on a military model of everyday life, put thousands of...
Spotlight on: Primary Source World War II: Commemorating Pearl Harbor, 1941 Art Following the Japanese bombardment of the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan and Germany and immediately mobilized the country for war. "Remember Dec. 7th!" is a...
Spotlight on: Primary Source Preventing labor discrimination during World War II, 1942 Economics, Government and Civics In early 1942, as men of working age enlisted in the military and war production accelerated, US industries experienced a labor shortage. President Roosevelt established the War Manpower Commission "to assure the most effective...
Spotlight on: Primary Source Civilian defense on the home front, 1942 Art, Government and Civics In the early days of World War II, air raids and other attacks on populated areas in Europe generated fears that similar attacks could happen in the United States. On May 20, 1941, more than six months before the United States entered...
Spotlight on: Primary Source A World War II poster: "Starve the Squander Bug," 1943 Art, Government and Civics, World History 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Before he became world-renowned as Dr. Seuss for his children’s books and illustrations, Theodor Geisel worked for the US government during World War II designing posters such as this one, encouraging patriotism and investment. The...
Spotlight on: Primary Source Photograph of an abandoned farm in the Dust Bowl, 1938 Art, Economics, Geography 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ When a severe drought in the early 1930s left the crops of the Great Plains stunted, the relentless winds of the plains picked up the soil and brewed up horrific, roiling storms that gave this time its name: the Dust Bowl. Thousands...
Lesson Plan American Music Goes to War Science, Technology, Engineering and Math 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Entertainment is always a national asset. Invaluable in time of peace, it is indispensable in wartime. —Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1943 Background Music during World War II had an unprecedented impact on America, both on the home front...