The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)

Women Aviators in World War II: "Fly Girls"

Jackie Cochran, one of America's leading aviators

This lesson plan explores the contributions of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II, and their aviation legacy.

Lesson 4: The Failure of Diplomacy, September–December 1941

Faced with crippling economic sanctions imposed by the United States, the Japanese government decided in September 1941 to prepare for war to seize the raw materials that they were now unable to obtain from America. Students in this lesson will put themselves in the shoes of U.S. and Japanese diplomats in the final months of 1941.

Lesson 3: Japan's "Southern Advance" and the March toward War, 1940–1941

Ribbentrop, Kurusu, and Hitler negotiate the Tripartite Pact, 1940.

For the Japanese leadership, events in Europe during the first half of 1940 offered new opportunities for resolving the war in China. In this lesson students will examine primary documents and maps to discover why Japan embarked on its "southern advance."

Lesson 2: America and the Sino-Japanese Conflict, 1933–1939

Japanese soldiers in combat in China, 1937.

The Japanese conquest of Manchuria in 1931 was only the first step in what became a much larger campaign to create a pro-Japanese "buffer state" in North China. This lesson will examine the overall principles which underlay both Japanese and American foreign policy in the mid- to late-1930s.

Lesson 4: The Great Debate: Internationalists vs. Isolationists

Senator James Byrnes of South Carolina defended the U.S.'s aiding of Great Britain prior to America's entry into World War II.

President Roosevelt's proposal to provide direct military aid to Great Britain launched a nationwide debate over foreign policy that lasted through most of 1941. Should the United States observe its traditional policy of non-involvement in European affairs (to which World War I had been a notable exception), or should the United States take whatever steps were necessary (up to and, perhaps, including direct involvement in the war) to prevent a German victory?In this lesson students are introduced to the main arguments used by both sides in this great debate. Through the use of an interactive map and primary source documents, students trace the events of 1941, and think critically about what foreign policy would have best served national interests.

Lesson 3: U.S. Neutrality and the War in Europe, 1939–1940

The outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939 posed a serious challenge to U.S. neutrality. On the one hand, Americans' sympathies lay overwhelmingly with Great Britain and its allies; on the other hand, public sentiment overwhelmingly favored staying out of the war. Through a study of contemporary documents, students learn about the difficult choices faced by the Roosevelt administration during the first fifteen months of World War II, culminating in the decision to provide direct military aid to Great Britain.

Lesson 1: The Growth of U.S.-Japanese Hostility, 1915–1932

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had its origins in a growing antagonism between the United States and Japan that first developed during World War I. Using contemporary documents, students in this lesson will explore the rise of animosity between the United States and Japan.

Lesson 1: Postwar Disillusionment and the Quest for Peace, 1921–1929

Senator William E. Borah, (R-Idaho), was a prominent American isolationist who gave a speech on "outlawing war" in 1924.

Although antiwar organizations existed even before World War I, it was during the interwar period that pacifism became the fastest-growing movement in America. Numerous American politicians, businessmen, journalists, and activists made proposals for multilateral agreements on arms control and collective security. Through an examination of memoirs, photographs, and other primary source documents, students examine the rise of antiwar sentiment in the United States, as well as some of the concrete measures taken during the 1920s to prevent the outbreak of future wars.

Lesson 2: Legislating Neutrality, 1934–1939

President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to keep the U.S. out of World War II as long as possible.

Americans in the mid nineteen thirties turned increasingly pessimistic about the possibility of preventing the outbreak of wars through international cooperation and instead moved toward measures designed to prevent the United States from intervening in any foreign war that might occur. In this lesson students examine a series of primary source documents that will help them understand why these laws were passed, and how they were applied in the mid- to late-1930s.

Lesson 1: FDR's Fireside Chats: The Power of Words

Franklin D. Roosevelt having a fireside chat in Washington, D.C, April 28, 1935.

In this lesson which focuses on two of FDR's Fireside Chats, students gain a sense of the dramatic effect of FDR's voice on his audience, see the scope of what he was proposing in these initial speeches, and make an overall analysis of why the Fireside Chats were so successful.

Search