The decades from 1920 to 1940 transformed American society more than any other time period. During these decades, there was a struggle over how to define American national identity as groups like the KKK fought to define it in terms of white Protestantism against others seeking more secular and inclusive definitions. The Great Depression led to the New Deal which dramatically expanded the federal government's role in peoples' lives in ways that many felt violated the Constitution, while others felt did not go far enough. Taken together, these decades brought revolutionary changes to America.

1. Background:
When the First World War ended, Americans welcomed what
they hoped would be a “return to normalcy.” The decades that
followed, however, are ones which would rarely be described as
normal in comparison to what came before or after. During
these decades, a struggle ensued within the American nation
regarding how best to define the nation’s essential character, as
groups like the revived Ku Klux Klan fought a rearguard action
to define nationhood solely in terms of white skin and
Protestant religion against secularists, Catholics, flappers,
“New Negroes,” and others who challenged the traditional
order. Immediately thereafter, the New Deal implemented in
response to the Great Depression revolutionized the role of the
federal government in lives of the American people, in ways
that many Americans believed violated the basic tenets of the
Constitution—and others believed were not radical enough.
Taken together, the decades from 1920 to 1940 may have
transformed the American nation more than any other
comparable time period.
Resources:
When responding to these questions, draw material from
ONE
of the following videos:
Hogan, H. (Writer). (2003).
The great depression
. [Television series episode]. In R. Hawksworth (Executive
producer),
America in the 20th Century
. New York, NY: Films for the Humanities & Sciences.
Retrieved from
http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=36219&
aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=
Hogan, H. (Writer). (2003).
The roaring twenties
[Television series episode]. In R. Hawksworth (Executive

2. producer),
America in the 20th Century
. New York, NY: Films for the Humanities & Sciences.
Retrieved from
http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=36218&
aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=
Stone, R. (Writer & Director). (2009).
The civilian conservation corps
[Television series episode]. In M. Samels (Executive producer),
The 1930s
. Boston, MA: WGBH Educational Foundation. Retrieved from
http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=44081&
aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=
Also, draw from the material in
AT LEAST TWO
of the following primary sources:
Bliven, B. (1925, Sept. 9).
Flapper Jane
. Retrieved from
http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/1025/flapperjane.pdf
Forquignon. (1932).
Bonus army marches on Washington, DC 1932
[Video]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWvCCxOUsM8&feature=yo
utu.be
Hartt, R. L. (1921, Jan. 15).
“The new Negro”: “When he’s hit, he hits back!”
. Independent. Retrieved from
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5127
Long, H. (1934, Feb. 23).
Share our wealth speech
. Retrieved from http://www.hueylong.com/programs/share-our-
wealth-speech.php
Marshall, C. C. (1927, April).

3. An open letter to the honorable Alfred E. Smith
.
Atlantic Monthly
, 139, 540-544, 548-549. Retrieved from
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5074
Martin, T. T. (1923).
Hell and high schools
.
Atlantic Monthly
, 139, 540-544, 548-549. Retrieved from
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5074
McDougald, E. J. (1925).
The double task of Negro womanhood
.In A. Locke (Ed.),
The New Negro: An Interpretation.
Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5126
Roosevelt, F. D. (1933, May 7).
Address of the President delivered by radio from the White
House
. Retrieved from http://www.mhric.org/fdr/chat2.html
Shafter, L. H. (1938).
I’d rather not be on relief
. Retrieved from http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-
bin/query/r?ammem/todd:@field(DOCID+st045)
The New Deal Network. (2003).
TVA: Electricity for all
. [Interactive Exhibit]. Retrieved from
http://newdeal.feri.org/tva/index.htm
Instructions:
Review the major social and economic developments in
American society during the 1920s and 1930s. After reviewing
your Instructor’s Guidance and completing the weekly reading
assignments (including those in the resource section below),

4. please post a substantive discussion post of at least 200 words
that compares and contrasts the decades of the 1920’s with the
1930s using the following questions as the basis of your
analysis:
How did American society change in the two decades after the
First World War?
How did the federal government change in response to those
changes?
How did the American people respond to the changing role of
the federal government?
How did the New Deal change over time and what alternatives
were offered to it?
Which groups benefited or suffered most from these changes?
Should this period be regarded as having represented a
revolutionary moment in American history?
Along with the general discussion, address developments across
these two decades related to
AT LEAST ONE
of the following groups:
Evangelical Protestants
Farmers
African Americans
Women
Business owners
The middle class
Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support
your claims with examples from the required material(s) and
properly cite any references.
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