Crises 100 Years Apart -- Comparing the Challenges of 1930s and 2020s
This class describes President Franklin Roosevelt's approaches to the crises of 1933 and compares them to the crises of 2021 and the way President-elect Biden is intentionally imitating President Roosevelt.
Edward Simmons
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(692)
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
US Grade 7 - 10
Intermediate Level
In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt energetically attacked high unemployment of a three-year long depression and loss of faith in banks and government institutions through emergency actions during his first 100 days and a series of radio addresses. President-elect Biden laid out plans for an equally emergency-driven 100 days in 2021 to take on a pandemic and its economic and social impacts. He used televised briefings to seek national cooperation with his plans and lower the temperature of national political conversations. He is still consciously trying to follow the model of President Roosevelt past the first hundred days as he tries to transform the American economy. The course will compare the historical situations of 1933 and 2021, examine the extent to which President-elect Biden appears to imitate President Roosevelt, and discuss the relative success of Roosevelt and the relative success of President-elect Biden as events unfold. The crisis of 1933 led to an entirely new American economy under the New Deal and an unprecedented 60 years without a depression or major recession. President Biden also intends to make the first hundred days the beginning of transforming the american economy for the next century. Important concluding questions will be: (1) How closely does 2021 repeat the problems of 1933? (2) How similar are the strategies used by Roosevelt and Biden? And (3) How likely is the intentional repetition of emergency methods from 1933 and New Deal programs tol work in the very different world of Biden's term as president? Looking at whether a historical emergency in one century can be the guide for another emergency in a different century points to a practical application of history. Is it a good idea to try to repeat history? Do methods that worked in one emergency work again after nearly 100 years? Resources: Pictures ands graphics from the FDR Presidential Library and Museum (https://www.fdrlibrary.org/) are used.
Other Details
Supply List
A handout will be provided that explains terms and events discussed in the class. A slide program with the informational content of the course will be given to students at the completion of the class and they will be encouraged to use the weblinks in the slides to continue a learning adventure on the topic.
2 files available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Information on FDR will be drawn from the following websites and links to items on these sites will be in the slide program used in the class: (1) Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum Research Resources (https://www.fdrlibrary.org/research-the-roosevelts), (2) FDR: Day by Day (http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/daybyday/), especially the timeline feature, (3) Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum: Great Depression Facts (https://www.fdrlibrary.org/great-depression-facts), (4) The White House Historical Asociation: The Fireside Chats (https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-fireside-chats-roosevelts-radio-talks), and (5) The White House Historical Association: Franklin D. Roosevelt
A Time Magazine article in October 2020 discussed "How Joe Biden Is Positioning Himself As A Modern FDR" (https://time.com/5904569/joe-biden-fdr/). In the Time article on Biden and Harris as Person of the Year, Time mentioned that Biden was reading about FDR and his 100 days in shaping his administration (https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2020-joe-biden-kamala-harris/). The first 100 days of the Biden administration has become a topic being followed by media such as NPR (https://www.npr.org/2020/11/09/932190347/bidens-first-100-days-here-s-what-to-expect) and will be followed as those days unfold, giving ongoing updated information for this course.
Joined May, 2020
4.9
692reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a Vanderbilt Ph.D. who has spent a lifetime learning and teaching world history, especially in connection with science, archaeology, Bible studies, and philosophy. Being drafted (Vietnam period) just as I started my college teaching career shoved me in unexpected directions and into a state job teaching interpersonal skills, leadership, and all kinds of management skills to top people in Georgia's largest agency and being shared often with many other agencies. In retirement I returned to my first love 10 years ago.
When teaching college freshmen or my teenage grandchildren any subject, my priorities always include how to go about learning, thinking, and reading critically. Finding one's own way is essential -- and it always involves making work into something fun and interesting. Having children and grandchildren with ADHD, I have also learned that every student must find their own path no matter what sort of label others want to put on them. I also believe teachers must be examples of important values -- compassion, tolerance, and appropriate tough-mindedness.
The courses I teach will usually involve issues from American History or World History that are important for understanding what is happening in the world today. An important function of history is to help people understand current events and thus to grow into informed citizens.Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$25
per classMeets once
55 min
Completed by 72 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
1-6 learners per class
