The Depression and Hard Times in Mississippi Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
It is difficult for today’s students to grasp the dire predicament of most Mississippians who lived during the Depression Era. Study of the events of that period will give students a useful historical base, but it alone cannot be expected to engender in them a deep understanding of the severity of the period. However, an examination of the lives of ordinary citizens as they shared their desperation in letters to their congressman will enable students to gain a clearer picture of the times. As students read the correspondence between Congressman William M.