Rural Poverty: The Depression in the South

Rural Poverty: The Depression in the South
Rosalynn Carter: Religion, Social Issues and Reform

Skill: High School/College
Time Required: At least three class periods

Introduction:

Both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, as children, grew up in the South during the leanest years of the Great Depression. Attention is often centered on the business and banking aspects of the Depression years; however, another side of the story is the issue of rural poverty.

Objectives:

The purpose of this lesson is to acquaint students with the realities of rural poverty in the South during the Great Depression and beyond. Teachers may wish to expand this idea into a regional study of the South after Reconstruction and bring the focus forward into the late 20^th century.

Materials Required:

Access to the Internet; access to print reference materials; the textbook.

Procedures:

Tell students that the publisher of their textbook has decided to create a whole chapter on the Great Depression and wants to add a section that treats the issue of rural poverty in the South in addition to the information that is currently in their textbook about banks, businesses, and unemployment. As students who are currently using the text, they have been asked to create a pilot section to be tested around the nation next year. They should include text as well as visual images that address this critical issue.

Extending the Lesson:

If students are skilled in using various desktop publishing software, the teacher may wish to have students actually create a booklet of their pilot section. Some students may wish to create a supplemental text in which short stories, essays, poetry, and artwork are featured.

Sources & Resources:

Websites:

The Great Depression on Wikipedia

The Great Depression

Photographs of the Great Depression

Credits:

This lesson was developed by Bette Brooks, Kent State University.

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