Great Speeches in History - The Great Depression (Great Speeches in History)

Book info: Great Speeches in History - The Great Depression (Great Speeches in History) (Library Binding, 240 pages) – Greenhaven Press, 2001. Language: English.

The Great Depression was the greatest economic disaster the nation had ever faced. When traditional policies failed, Americans looked to their leaders for guidance. While Franklin D. Roosevelt said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," Huey Long claimed "unless we do share our wealth . . . we can never have a happy or free people." The speeches in this anthology examine the issues of the Great Depression, both explaining and questioning the policies used to alleviate America's economic suffering. Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal Grade 9 Up-A collection of 21 speeches given between 1928 and 1939 by the likes of Herbert Hoover, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Huey Long, Will Rogers, Frances Perkins, John L. Lewis, Charles Coughlin, and others. The entries are well balanced and present a variety of viewpoints. Gerdes provides a helpful introduction and notes, and there is an extensive list for further research. The "Appendix of Biographies," however, is disappointingly incomplete (fewer than half of the entries give death dates) and has many errors and inconsistencies. Although The Great Depression is a worthy effort, students and teachers using document-based learning will be better served by Robert McElvaine's The Depression and New Deal: A History in Documents (Oxford, 2000). It is more comprehensive and more interesting, and includes not only speeches but also letters, congressional acts, memos, newspaper and magazine articles, poems, songs, and interviews. It is also well illustrated with photos and cartoons of the times. Greenhaven has published two other books on the topic, both called The Great Depression (1997, 2000) and edited by Don Nardo, and there is some overlap.
Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review "This dynamic anthology does an excellent job of combining social histroy with biography and passionate politics. The leaders speak with immediacy and conviction. Landmark moments are captured here. Besides a general historical overview, headnotes provide historical context and a brief analysis. The contents page is annotated, and a useful appendix provides a one-page biography of each speaker. The voices, heard from a public platform and directed to a wide audience, have a wonderful informality that is much more accessible than written analysis. Students will find this a gripping collection for their personal interest and for research."
-- Booklist (October 2001) (Booklist 20011015)

"This collection brings together speeches by some of the most distinguished political leaders of the twentieth century together with political analysis. Each speech is introduced by a brief historical and political discussion, and a general introduction gives a helpful overview and precise historical context. The combination of the original speeches and the present day analysis provides a fine starting point for reports and class discussion."
-- Booklist (May 2003) (Booklist 20030501)

"This collection brings together speeches by some of the most distinguished political leaders of the twentieth century together with political analysis. Each speech is introduced by a brief historical and political discussion, and a general introduction gives a helpful overview and precise historical context. The combination of the original speeches and the present day analysis provides a fine starting point for reports and class discussion."
-- Booklist (May 2003) (Booklist 20030501)