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"It Ain't the Heat!" political cartoon from the Greenfield Recorder newspaper
"Franklin County to get C.C. Corps Camps in Four of State Forests at Once" article from Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette paper
"More Weight On Men, More Roads Through Forest Show Result of One Camp" article from the Daily Recorder-Gazette newspaper
"Start New Gypsy Moth Campaign" article from Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette newspaper
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Summary and Objective
Students will understand that the federal government helped to stabilize the unemployment rate in Massachusetts during America’s worst economic downturn, the Great Depression. Students will analyze primary sources that depict the Civilian Conservation Corps working to improve both the environment of Massachusetts and local citizens’ lives in the state.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Students will be introduced to a political cartoon to focus their attention to the economic state of America during the Great Depression. Students will view the Greenfield Recorder political cartoon, “It Ain’t the Heat!” and answer the following questions as a class.
From the Library of Congress political cartoon analysis questions:
1. What message(s) or belief(s) do you think the cartoonist intended to convey with this cartoon?
2. How does the cartoonist use images or text to depict his or her message and/or beliefs? Give specific examples from the cartoon.
Teacher explains that the country experienced its worst economic disaster in its history, the Great Depression. Teacher provides a short explanation of the Depression and the efforts by FDR to improve the economy. Point out unemployment rate in 1932 (25% of all eligible working population). (Teacher can compare 1932 unemployment rate to today’s unemployment rate using the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site regarding the economy http://www.bls.gov)
Step 2.
Students will look at the efforts of one of FDR’s New Deal programs, the Civilian Conservation Corps, to fight unemployment on a state level in Massachusetts. Using the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation website, the students will answer these three questions individually.
Questions for MA site for the CCC: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/ccc/index.htm
1. What was the purpose of the Civilian Conservation Corps, or why was it created?
2. a. When was the CCC active in Massachusetts?
b. About how many men were provided employment by the CCC in Massachusetts throughout the Great Depression?
3. What did the CCC do to help the state of Massachusetts?
Step 3.
Students will then look closer at the local efforts of the CCC in Franklin County, MA using the TAH Online Collection. They will answer these six questions individually.
Questions for TAH Online Collection:
1. Where were the CCC recruits to be stationed in Western Massachusetts? Name at least four locations.
2. Where were many CCC recruits from originally?
3. What were the CCC recruits working on in Franklin County, MA in 1933?
4. How would you describe the life of a CCC recruit? Explain.
5. How did both the CCC recruits and the communities benefit from each other economically?
6. Explain at least three ways in which the CCC recruits utilized the land to make the most of the land’s resources?
Step 4.
To bring the lesson all together, the teacher will ask the students to discuss the questions answered throughout the lesson. Teacher will emphasize the local efforts to fight the high unemployment during the Great Depression.
Step 5.
Post Activity
Teacher and students may go further into the work of the Massachusetts CCC recruits with three more extension activities:
a. Have students discuss the possibility of creating a CCC-like organization to create jobs and help the environment today.
b. Students could look at the efforts of the CCC student organization today in the state of Massachusetts and their own possible involvement.
c. Students could interview someone associated with the CCC during the Great Depression.
d. Read Mass Moments article regarding the first enrollees that arrived at Fort Devens and tie into lesson.
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