How did Americans respond to the economic catastrophe of 1929? In what ways did the social and cultural responses of the American inform the politics of the period? This work presents a series of essays that examine these and related questions.

How did Americans respond to the economic catastrophe of 1929? In what ways did the social and cultural responses of the American people inform the politics of the period? How did changes in political beliefs alter cultural activities? This volume examines the presidency of FDR through a very distinctive set of lenses: the representation of FDR in film and popular culture, discussions of New Deal art and art policy, the social and political meanings of public architecture, 1930s music, and many more.