It's easy to minimize the Great Depression by making it solely about financial well being. Sure, it was an unprecedented and (thus far) unequaled crisis in American history, but the crisis was more than economic. The Great Depression challenged Americans’ beliefs about their nation and themselves. 

As your students will read in the “Why Should I Care?” section on the front page, the Depression rocked fundamental beliefs about opportunity, hard work, and success. And, as we introduce in the “Summary and Analysis” section, this ideological challenge led some Americans to consider alternatives ranging from communism to fascism.