Mr. Roosevelt Comes to Champaign County:
An Examination of the New Deal
Marshall
Schacht (St. Joseph-Ogden High School)
Fellowship Summer 2009
Champaign County Historical Archives
Lesson 7: Proposing a New ÒNew DealÓ
After studying the rationale behind the New Deal, the practical applications of FDRÕs many agencies in Central Illinois and the criticisms of the creation of a welfare state, students are now prepared to consider what programs are necessary today to stimulate the economy. Students will work in small groups to come up with their own local projects to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
To start the unit students will examine a few local pictures indicating the presence of government programs in Champaign County right now: American Recovery and Investment Act in Urbana
á The pictures were taken in Urbana on Windsor Road just West of Rt. 130.
á Students should comment on the symbolism on the sign and note similarities to the NRA symbol.
On the Illinois Recovery website (www.recovery.illinois.gov), Governor Pat Quinn invites direct public participation in the process. Following the link to Òsuggest a projectÓ students can do their part to Òrebuild and restore IllinoisÓ. The form includes a description of the project, an estimate of the number of jobs created and an estimate of the cost.
Working in small groups, students will complete the form, make a proposal and share it with the class. Each completed plan will be submitted to the GovernorÕs Stimulus Team for consideration.
The lesson here is that the federal government has created this stimulus package for us to use. If we and our local government officials do not apply for federal money for local projects it is our loss. Central Illinois benefited from the New Deal programs in the 1930s and early 1940s because of active civil servants that envisioned projects that would benefit those in need of work. If we are to gain from the current recovery initiatives, it is up to us to make it happen.