The Great Depression and the 1990s
Lesson One: A Variety of Perspectives on the Welfare State

(Estimated lesson time: 2-3 days class days.)

Background Reading

To prepare students for this lesson, the teacher may want to have them read selected passages from Jonathan Kozol´s book, Amazing Grace. The book, about life in a New York City ghetto Mott Haven, has much to say about the welfare state. We recommend the following selections:

• Chapter 1: Overall background on Mott Haven and conditions there
• pp. 98-101, 107-111: Rudolph Giuliani´s proposed program and tax cuts
• pp. 180-182: Welfare mothers and the breakdown of the family
• p. 187: Infant mortality rates
• p. 191: Medical apartheid

Considering the Issues

As the unit opens up, students survey the spectrum of viewpoints in the classroom on the contemporary role of government in American society. To start the lesson, students will be asked to comment on a variety of questions related to the welfare state. Here are some sample questions:

• How much should the United States government and state governments be involved in helping improve the lives of its citizens?
• Which group do you think could better help impoverished United States citizens: private charitable organizations or the government?
• Does society owe support to children of single-parent families when the parent is unemployed?

Values Line

After answering the questions, students will place themselves in a "values-line" based on the question: Does society owe support to children of single-parent families when the parent is unemployed? Students who think that unemployed single-parents are lazy, system- abusing citizens should move to one end of the room. Students who, by contrast, feel sympathetic towards these parents and their children should move to the other side of the room. Put students undecided on the issue in a middle ground in the room. Students then discuss with those around them their opinions in order to create one continuous line where students are placed, according to their opinions, with the extremists on the ends and the moderates in the middle. After students form one continuous line, they then pair up to discuss their opinions ­ one person from each extreme and two students from the middle of the pack form a quartet for discussion.

Newspaper Article

After a discussion, in which students list the arguments, the group will collectively write a newspaper article, based on the topic of their conversation. At the end of the lesson, groups can share their articles and the teacher will then facilitate a wrap-up discussion.