American Decades Primary Sources: 1930-1939

The United States in the 1930s was dominated by the economic difficulties of the Great Depression, which impacted life on all levels for much of the population. The Depression spurred federal programs in business and industry and investment in the arts and humanities, generating a heretofore unparalleled support for and public interest in literature, architecture, photography, and other ventures. At the same time, the country's economic woes did not discourage crime or social debate. The 1930s was a decade rich in new cultural and social programs, as well as political debate and legal challenge. The following documents are just a sampling of the offerings available in this volume: "Notes on a Cowboy Ballet," Aaron Copland's notes for "Billy the Kid""Progress in Michigan," newsletter of the Works Progress AdministrationLand of the Spotted Eagle, by Luther Standing Bear A Century of Progress Exposition: Official Pictures in Color, exposition booklet"What's the Matter with Congress?" by Senator Lester J. DickinsonText facsimile of Al Capone's indictmentEleanor Roosevelt's letter of resignation from the Daughters of the American Revolution"Will the New Deal Be a Square Deal for the Negro?" by Jesse O. ThomasSaga of the CCC, by John D. Guthrie"Are We Going Communist? A Debate," by Everett Dean Martin and Earl BrowderPhotography of the Great Depression: Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein, Walker EvansCover and pages from "Action Comics No. 1," by Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster"Children Hurt at Work," by Gertrude Folks ZimandLetter from Albert Einstein to President Franklin D. RooseveltBox score of the Cincinnati Reds– Brooklyn Dodgers game on June 15, 1938