US.46 Describe the steps taken by President Hoover to combat the economic depression, including his philosophy of “rugged individualism,” the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, and the response to the “Bonus Army.”
1. Imagine you were the President of the United States when the Great Depression started. How would you have responded? Remember that if you start a government assistance program you have to fund it somehow.
2. Are you a Republican or a Democrat president? Based on prior learning, how might being a Republican or Democrat affect the way you responded to the Depression? |
Familiarization
Click here so you can get to know President Herbert Hoover and why he responded the way he did to the Great Depression. Answer the focus questions on your lesson worksheet.
Analyze political cartoons about Hoover and the Great Depression.
Political Cartoon #1
Political Cartoon #2
Guided Viewing
Watch this video on Hoover and the response to the "Bonus Army". Answer the guided viewing questions on the lesson worksheet.
The Bonus Army
WWI veterans were promised a bonus to be paid in 1945. When the Great Depression hit they demanded their bonus early (many argued that if they did not receive aid, they wouldn't be around to collect the bonuses in 1945). They decided to march on Washington in a display of unity. Congress voted, and refused to pay the bonus early. Hoover offered to pay for the return trip home for the veterans. However, some veterans stay camped out in a little shanty town they had made in the capital. Hoover called out the US Army (Army officers such as MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton of WWII fame will be involved) to disperse the crowd. Two people died in the incident and Hoover was seen as heartless by the American public. |
Critical Thinking
1. In what ways did President Hoover help Americans during the Great Depression? What other actions do you think he could have taken?
2. How might the "Bonus Army" march have been different if it had taken place in today's society? Why?
3. Do you think President Hoover was unfairly blamed for the plight of the American people in the Great Depression? Explain your position with details from the lesson.
2. How might the "Bonus Army" march have been different if it had taken place in today's society? Why?
3. Do you think President Hoover was unfairly blamed for the plight of the American people in the Great Depression? Explain your position with details from the lesson.