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The Great Depression: Hard Times in America

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Instructions: From Black Tuesday to the New Deal — revisit a decade that tested the nation's resilience and reshaped modern government for generations to come.

  1. 1.

    The catastrophic stock market crash that launched the Great Depression is known as "Black Tuesday." On what date did it occur?

    A
    October 24, 1929
    B
    October 29, 1929
    C
    November 5, 1929
    D
    September 3, 1929
  2. 2.

    At the very worst point of the Great Depression, approximately what share of American workers were unemployed?

    A
    About 10 percent
    B
    About 15 percent
    C
    About 25 percent
    D
    About 40 percent
  3. 3.

    During the Depression, homeless Americans built crude communities of tents and scrap-wood shelters in cities across the country. What were these makeshift settlements called?

    A
    Hoovervilles
    B
    Roosevelt Camps
    C
    New Deal Villages
    D
    Bonus Marches
  4. 4.

    The "Dust Bowl" of the 1930s was caused by a severe drought combined with years of over-plowing that stripped the protective topsoil away. Which region was at the very heart of the Dust Bowl?

    A
    The Pacific Northwest — Oregon and Washington state
    B
    The Deep South — Mississippi and Alabama
    C
    The Great Lakes states — Michigan and Ohio
    D
    The southern Great Plains — Oklahoma, Kansas, and the Texas panhandle
  5. 5.

    Bank runs and financial panic triggered a catastrophic wave of bank closures during the Depression. Roughly how many U.S. banks failed between 1929 and 1933?

    A
    About 500
    B
    More than 9,000
    C
    About 2,000
    D
    About 15,000
  6. 6.

    FDR's New Deal created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933 to put young unemployed men to work. What kind of projects did CCC workers mainly carry out?

    A
    Building post offices and federal courthouses
    B
    Teaching reading and writing in rural schools
    C
    Planting trees, building trails, and working on conservation and national park projects
    D
    Working in steel mills and munitions factories
  7. 7.

    The Works Progress Administration (WPA), created in 1935, is famous for putting Americans to work building roads and public buildings. It also funded one very surprising type of project. Which one?

    A
    Hiring artists, writers, actors, and musicians to create public art, plays, and oral histories
    B
    Building military submarines and naval warships
    C
    Running government-owned grocery stores to feed the poor
    D
    Providing low-cost government mortgages to help families buy homes
  8. 8.

    President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935. What did this landmark legislation originally provide for Americans?

    A
    Free medical care for all Americans over 65
    B
    Unemployment insurance only, with retirement pensions to be added later
    C
    A guaranteed minimum wage for every American worker
    D
    Retirement pensions for older workers plus a system of unemployment insurance
  9. 9.

    The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 is widely considered to have deepened the Great Depression. What did this law do?

    A
    It cut taxes for wealthy Americans to encourage investment
    B
    It raised taxes on imported goods to historically high levels, triggering retaliatory tariffs from other nations
    C
    It gave the president emergency power to close failing banks
    D
    It slashed government spending in an effort to balance the federal budget
  10. 10.

    In December 1933, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. What did it accomplish?

    A
    It ended Prohibition by repealing the 18th Amendment, making alcohol legal again
    B
    It gave Congress the power to set federal income tax rates
    C
    It guaranteed women the right to vote in all elections
    D
    It limited the president to serving no more than two terms in office
  11. 11.

    The Banking Act of 1933, commonly called the Glass-Steagall Act, was one of FDR's most important New Deal reforms. What new institution did it create to protect ordinary Americans' savings?

    A
    The Federal Reserve System
    B
    The Securities and Exchange Commission
    C
    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
    D
    The National Labor Relations Board
  12. 12.

    John Steinbeck's 1939 novel "The Grapes of Wrath" told the story of a family forced off their Oklahoma farm and driven west to California by the Dust Bowl. What was that family's name?

    A
    The Millers
    B
    The Waltons
    C
    The Porters
    D
    The Joads
  13. 13.

    A haunting 1936 photograph of a hollow-cheeked migrant mother holding her children became the most iconic image of the Great Depression. Who took this famous photograph?

    A
    Dorothea Lange
    B
    Ansel Adams
    C
    Margaret Bourke-White
    D
    Walker Evans
  14. 14.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt was first elected president in 1932. What was historically unique about how long he served in office?

    A
    He was the first sitting president ever to resign from the office
    B
    He served four terms — more than any other president in American history
    C
    He was the youngest person ever to be elected president
    D
    He served the shortest total time in office while winning the most elections
  15. 15.

    The FDIC, created during the New Deal, remains one of the most important protections American bank customers have today. What do the letters FDIC stand for?

    A
    Federal Department of Insurance and Commerce
    B
    Financial Deposit and Investment Corporation
    C
    Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
    D
    Federal Division of Industrial Commerce

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