New Deal Network

As the current financial crisis deepens and the prospect of a depression looms, many across the U.S. are turning to the Great Depression and the New Deal era for guidance. This database presents more than 20,000 items relating to the New Deal, treating a broad array of subjects relevant to the period's social, cultural, political, and economic history, while placing special emphasis on New Deal relief agencies and issues relating to labor, education, agriculture, the Supreme Court, and African Americans. It includes more than 900 newspaper and journal articles, speeches, letters, reports, and advertisements; and 5,000 images emphasizing construction projects, social programs, federal agencies, disaster relief, and public figures. Other materials in this website's eclectic collection include 17 selected interviews from American slave narratives gathered by the Works Progress Administration, an illustrated essay on the history and social effects of the Tennessee Valley Authority, as well as several virtual exhibitions, including"Dear Mrs. Roosevelt" with selected letters written by young people to the first lady. Resources for teachers are available as well, including six lesson plans and a guide to using the archive in the classroom.

Read a more in-depth review of New Deal Network written by Charles Forcey of Columbia University.

Explore additional website reviews at World History Matters.