North Carolina, along with the rest of the nation and much of the world, was plunged quickly from the promise of the 1920s into back-to-back catastrophes: the greatest economic collapse in modern history and the bloodiest war humans have ever fought. Yet both events inspired a kind of progress. The Great Depression brought the opportunity for reform. World War II brought jobs, industries, new technologies, and opportunities for women and minorities.
Designed for secondary students, part nine of our web-based "digital textbook" combines primary sources with articles from a variety of perspectives, maps, photographs, and multimedia to tell the many stories of North Carolina in the years between 1929 and 1945:
- why the Great Depression occurred, and why it was so deep
- how governments used the Depression as an opportunity for new programs, regulations, and reforms, including the New Deal
- what life was like during the Depression
- how World War II began and how it was fought
- the experiences of soldiers, sailors, and aviators
- the impact of the war on the homefront