Great Depression and New Deal Vocabulary: Part 1

Match each term to its correct definition.

• The long, severe economic downturn that began in 1929, marked by high unemployment, bank failures, and widespread poverty.

• Foreclosure

• A temporary economic decline when trade and industrial activity fall; less severe and usually shorter than a depression.

• Recession

• A legal process where a lender takes back a property because the borrower failed to make required mortgage payments.

• Stock market crash

• A sudden, large drop in stock prices across many companies that causes investors to lose money and can trigger economic problems.

• Great Depression

• A situation when many depositors try to withdraw their money from a bank at the same time because they fear the bank will fail.

• Bank run

Match the New Deal goals with what they focused on.

• Short-term direct help like food, shelter, or jobs for people suffering.

• Reform

• Nickname for the many New Deal agencies known by abbreviations such as WPA or TVA.

• Fireside Chats

• Radio talks by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to explain policies and reassure the public.

• Relief

• Regulations designed to fix problems and prevent future crises by creating rules and oversight.

• Alphabet Agencies

• Programs and projects to restore the economy, reduce unemployment, and stimulate business activity.

• Recovery

Match each New Deal agency or program to its main purpose.

• Helped make home loans more available and affordable by insuring mortgages and encouraging lenders.

• PWA (Public Works Administration)

• Employed young men to conserve natural resources by planting trees, building trails, and preventing soil erosion.

• TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)

• Provided millions of jobs building roads, public buildings, and supporting arts projects.

• WPA (Works Progress Administration)

• Funded large public construction projects like bridges, schools, and dams to create jobs and improve infrastructure.

• CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)

• Built dams and power plants to control floods, provide electricity, and promote economic development in the Tennessee Valley.

• FHA (Federal Housing Administration)

Match each financial agency or policy to what it regulates or protects.

• Created a system of retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid for certain people in need.

• Social Security Act

• Regulates the stock market and works to prevent fraud, making investing safer.

• SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

• A line of people waiting to receive free food during times of widespread poverty.

• FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

• Many depositors withdraw money at the same time due to fear a bank will fail.

• Bank run

• Insures bank deposits so people won’t lose their money if a bank fails.

• Breadline

Match the term with its description related to hardship and migration.

• A series of programs, laws, and projects created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help the nation recover from the Great Depression.

• New Deal

• Shantytowns of makeshift houses built by homeless people during the Great Depression, named after President Herbert Hoover.

• Dust Bowl

• A period in the 1930s when drought and poor farming practices caused massive dust storms that ruined farmland and forced families to move.

• Hoovervilles

• Nickname for the many New Deal agencies created to provide relief, recovery, and reform.

• Alphabet Agencies

• A person who moves from place to place to find work, especially seasonal farm laborers.

• Migrant worker

Match each scenario to the correct term.

• A sudden sharp drop in share prices across many companies.

• Great Depression

• Crowds rush to withdraw savings from a bank in fear it will close.

• Stock market crash

• The economy slows for a shorter period and many people temporarily lose jobs.

• Foreclosure

• A lender takes back a house because the owner missed mortgage payments.

• Bank run

• A long, severe economic downturn with high unemployment and bank failures.

• Recession

Match the term to the example of government action.

• Insurance on deposits so people keep their money safe in banks.

• Reform

• Oversight of the stock market to reduce fraud and protect investors.

• SEC

• New rules for banks and markets to prevent future crises.

• Relief

• Soup kitchens and emergency job programs for struggling families.

• Recovery

• Funding roads and bridges to boost hiring and business activity.

• FDIC

Match each New Deal project to the kind of work it created.

• Engineering jobs building dams and power plants to provide electricity.

• CCC

• Mortgage-related jobs supporting lenders and helping families buy homes.

• FHA

• Construction jobs building bridges, schools, and dams.

• WPA

• Jobs for writers, artists, actors, and construction workers building public works.

• TVA

• Outdoor conservation jobs planting trees and preventing soil erosion.

• PWA

Match each public communication or support to its description.

• Moves from place to place to find seasonal work, often harvesting crops.

• Social Security Act

• Radio talks by President Roosevelt delivered in a calm, conversational style.

• Migrant worker

• Provides retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid to children and the disabled.

• Breadline

• Makeshift shantytowns built by homeless people during the Great Depression.

• Fireside Chats

• Lines where people receive free food during widespread poverty.

• Hoovervilles

Match the crisis to the correct government response.

• CCC plants trees and builds trails to conserve resources.

• Unemployment and poverty

• Relief programs offer food, shelter, and jobs.

• Erosion and deforestation

• SEC regulates markets to prevent fraud.

• Flood control and electricity needs

• TVA builds dams and power plants in the Tennessee Valley.

• Bank failures

• FDIC insures deposits so people don't lose savings.

• Unsafe stock trading