Located atop the forested hills in northeast Arkansas, Crowley's Ridge State Park occupies the former homestead of Benjamin Crowley, whose family first settled this area. Native log and stone structures, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, set the mood for this park's rustic warmth.
The site offers occasional recreational and educational events.
As President, Franklin D. Roosevelt led the United States through the trying times of the Great Depression and World War II. The Memorial serves as an enduring tribute to Roosevelt's presidency.
The memorial hosts special events throughout the year. The website offers historical information about Roosevelt and his presidency, a calendar of events, and general visitor information.
Newsanchor Tom Brokaw discusses his chronicling of the Greatest Generation in his book with the same title. The Greatest Generation tells the stories of America's citizens who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II. Brokaw also discusses his career with NBC Nightly News, where he has been the sole anchor and managing editor since 1983.
The lecture audio is available in mp3 format.
Anthony J. Badger, author of the new book FDR: The First Hundred Days, talks about FDR's first 100 days and how they have been interpreted by historians across the political spectrum.
Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter and Columbia University Provost Alan Brinkley discuss the first 100 days of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, the subject of Alter's recent book, The Defining Moment: FDR’s First Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope. The book contends that the first 100 days were not only the beginning of the New Deal, but also "the climax to a piece of political theater," which had begun years earlier when Roosevelt overcame polio and public perceptions of him as an elitist lightweight.
According to the Gilder Lehrman website:
"Distinguished American historian and counselor to presidents, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. had a ringside seat to the most pivotal moments of the 20th century. Schlesinger's Journals: 1952-2000, the second volume of his journals, were published in 2007 to great acclaim. The Gilder Lehrman Institute presents a 2001 Historians' Forum that he delivered on the first volume of his journals, A Life in the Twentieth Century: Innocent Beginnings, 1917-1950. Schlesinger focuses particularly on how perceptions of progress, government, and human nature changed in the face of the two World Wars and the rise of government forms that challenged democracy."
Scholars in Action presents case studies that demonstrate how scholars interpret different kinds of historical evidence. "Two White Horses Standin' in Line" (sung by Smith Cason) and "Worry Blues" (sung by Jesse Lockett), both recorded in 1939 by folklorist Alan Lomax, are known as "blues" songs.
The blues emerged as a musical form among African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and gained the attention of folklorists and record companies. Historians have studied blues and other African American musical forms to gain insight into the experiences and perspectives of poor and working-class African Americans who left few written records about their lives.
Financial panics have occurred regularly throughout American history. In this podcast, economic historian Michael Bernstein argues that one can't have the boom without the bust. Then historian Scott Nelson outlines the eerie similarities between 1873 and 2008, and explains how Christian fundamentalism is rooted in financial collapse.
One year after the sub-prime mortgage crisis, this website presents a small collection of historical materials and information surrounding four financial crises in the 19th and early 20th century: the Panic of 1837, the Panic of 1873, the Bankers' Panic of 1907, and the Great Crash of 1929. Each section includes a brief explanation of the crisis, including causes and consequences, and between four and six primary sources, including maps, images of bank notes, title deeds, and letters. These sources highlight the complexity of crises and their increasing internationalization over time, as well as issues surrounding historical interpretation of the crises.
The website also includes sections on the Waltham Watch Company, which drew on lessons learned during the Panic of 1937 to mechanize the production of watches; and the real-estate boom of the early 1920s, which has been used recently by economists and historians to better understand current connections between real estate markets and financial crisis. Finally, a bibliography of close to 30 works on the history of these crises, links to manuscript collections, trade publications, and financial databases, give website visitors suggestions for further study.
Close to 3,000 life histories from 19361940, compiled and transcribed by the staff of the Folklore Project, are presented here. They are part of the Federal Writers' Project for the U.S. Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration (WPA). Documents represent the work of more than 300 writers from 24 states. The histories, usually between 2,000 and 15,000 words in length, take the form of narratives, dialogs, reports, and case histories. Drafts and revisions are included. A typical history may offer information on family life, education, income, occupation, political views, religion, mores, medical needs, diet, and observations on society and culture.
"Voices from the Thirties,” illustrated with photographs of the project's staff at work, interviewees, and their environment, provides contextual information on the creation of the collection. This multifaceted site offers firsthand accounts on subjects such as slavery, 19th-century American folk cultures, and the social history of the Great Depression.