Pre-reading: American History Part II
Read the following information and click on the links for historical information. You will be writing two paragraphs on your reactions later in this Module, so make some notes on what you might want to write on.
The Great Depression in America (1929-1941)
The Great Depression in America affected everyone, black and white, male and female, rich and poor. To get an education or to work during this period was a struggle for many. Unemployment was extremely high. For most Americans the rate was around 25 percent, or one quarter of the population; for African Americans it went as high as 50 percent and in some places 70 percent.
Read the short article below that highlights some of the struggles black Americans had during this period. Remember, our main characters in the story Hidden Figures, are black women who made advances few other blacks did, and that was not only because of their brilliance in mathematics, but because of World War II when female workers were needed to replace the men who went to war.
When you finish viewing the links below, close the link and come back to this page.
Vocabulary: There will be terms you may not have seen before. Be sure to look up words you do not know and find their meaning. This will help increase your English vocabulary. Add them to a Vocabulary Journal for the semester.
Race Relations during the Great Depression Links to an external site.
The following link displays photos of life in America for blacks in the cities and on the rural farms. Scroll down and read the article first, then go back up and scan the photos of blacks in America during the Depression.
Click on "View Gallery" and scan the many photos.
Black Americans and The Great Depression Links to an external site.
World War II (1941-45) - end of the Depression
Read the following articles to get an idea of how women helped the war effort at home and in the armed forces.
Women in the War Links to an external site.
After the war and up to current times, women have been recruited to work in America's airplane production and what is called the aerospace industry. Aerospace means the fields of science and engineering working together to study flight in the Earth's atmosphere - otherwise, space travel.
These jobs were mostly held by white males. However, during and after World War II, females were beginning to be hired, and they then paved the way for black females to enter the aerospace workforce. It wasn't always easy for the women.
Post World War II Aerospace Industry
Women of color began to enter the aerospace industry and particularly in fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. That's where our Hidden Figures women come into the picture as they were considered valuable additions to the workforce. Read the articles below for more information.
Click on the red links below. After reading, you can close to come back to this page.
Black women in aerospace in America Links to an external site.
Hidden Figures No More Links to an external site.
Very good! Now, you will want to explore writing about this period of time in Low-stakes writing assignment #3. I'm asking you to write two paragraphs on two of the articles from your own impression and opinion.
You need not bring in text from the articles unless you refer to words or a short passage. If that happens, you may use " " quotation marks around the passage in your writing. Write in your own words.
We will go over the concept of plagiarism next to refresh your memory and why you do not want to put outside passages into your own writing, unless you cite that passage properly.
After the next short lesson on plagiarism, you will see your assignment on writing two paragraphs. Good luck.