1930’s – The Great Depression

4 November, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected President in a landslide over Herbert Hoover. Roosevelt received 22,800,000 popular votes to 15,750,000 for Hoover. October 24, 1929: Black Thursday: the day the stock market crashed July 7 of 1932 when the Times index was only 33.98, a decline of over 89% from its high of of September 19, 1929.(!!!)

No government programs existed to provide aid to people who needed it. Is this different from today? What assistance exists today? For the unemployed? The elderly? The sick? At the worst point of the Great Depression, in 1933, one in four Americans who wanted to work was unable to find a job.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.“ Edmund Burke Agree? Why or why not ? Explain

To Kill a Mockingbird Goals and Approach: This unit will represent a study in themes, including their interactions with history, nonfiction pieces, and the self. Goals: – Connect nonfiction to classical literature and the self – Identify and examine similar themes and symbols across literature (fiction and nonfiction), history, and personal experience – Participate in meaningful discussion – Refine note taking skills based on verbal discussion – Read a literary classic for both enjoyment and academic purposes – Analyze literature with peers

To Kill a Mockingbird Requirements and Expectations Include: – Reading pages per night from the novel – Nonfiction reading- 2 selections from the literature anthology text – Honest, thought provoking discussion – Participation on the part of all class members – Respect for others’ ideas at all times – Independent note taking and an on-task work ethic at all times

To Kill a Mockingbird Potential Academic Assignments: – Comprehension and Critical Thought Quizzes (announced and unannounced) – Creative In-class Activities (connections to art and poetry) – Homework Assignments- character analysis, comprehension questions, analysis questions, connections to theme and symbolism – Unit Test and/or chapter quizes – In-class and/or Out of Class Essay- Literary Analysis / Historical Connections – Quote Anthology Project – Post-It© Note-Taking – Meaningful Participation in Round Table Discussion

To Kill a Mockingbird Setting- – The American South – Maycomb, Alabama- a fictional town based on Monroeville, Alabama – 1930's (1933 to start)- Great Depression Era – Pgs. 5-6 give the clues necessary to recognize the historical era “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” - FDR's Inauguration Speech in 1933 – While it is the story of Scout’s growing up, it is also a story of the racially charged atmosphere of the town in the years of the Great Depression.

To Kill a Mockingbird Related Historical Events: In 1931, nine black teenage boys were accused of rape by two white girls. The trials of the boys lasted six years, with convictions, reversals, and numerous retrials. These trials were given the name The Scottsboro Trials, made national headlines, and drastically intensified the debate about race and racism in America. Ultimately, after six years of trials in which the boys were kept in jail, and despite the fact that one of the girls ultimately changed her testimony and claimed that no rape had actually occurred, five of the nine were convicted of rape.