Crossroads: High School Curriculum
Unit IX: Boom and Bust, 1921-1933

Independent Study Activity

Lesson 1

Independent Study Activity

  1. Use the remaining class time to read the first five pages of CROSSROADS Essay IX (Part I only).

  2. Select one of the authors cited on page 4 of Essay IX.

    1. With the help of your teacher or media consultant, choose one work by that author that uses the period 1921-1933 as its context. Read the selected work to extract the information sought by "b" below.

    2. Which social problem(s) mentioned in CROSSROADS Essay IX is of concern to the author?

      Which position does the author take on American values?

      What more do you know about the period from reading the work you have chosen?

  3. Select a city near you, your own city if possible, and -- through personal interviews, library resources, and selected readings provided by your teacher -- prepare a report that responds to the following assignment:

    Trace the development of society and politics within a city between 1921 and 1933 and analyze the changes in terms of how they transformed American life for its inhabitants while confirming American urbanization and diversity.

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