FDR’s first Fireside Chat had a palpable impact on public understanding and confidence in the U.S. banking system, combining information, argumentation, style, tone and the potent new medium of radio broadcasts to create a powerful shift in American public events and private economic choices.
Students do a close reading of the speech itself and then consider citizens’ letters sharing their responses.
Before beginning this module, students should have an understanding of the scope and causes of the Great Depression, Hoover’s response to the crisis, and why the American people elected FDR in 1932.
This module is designed for a deep dive into a seminal text and is designed to take roughly seven hours or eight fifty-minute periods. This module was created in the Summer 2013 Science Design Jam, and is shared with special thanks to the Kentucky Education Association for the use of their Lexington facilities.
