Depression-Era Interview Questions

Finding a survivor of the Great Depression may be difficult. Persons old enough to remember the Great Depression would be at least 67-70 years old in 1995. And yet, if a student is able to find someone who both lived through the Great Depression and the New Deal and is willing to take part in an oral-history interview, the experience will be rewarding for both parties -- for the student, who not only will learn about the period in question but also will get his or her first chance to practice some of the skills of an historian, and for the interviewee, who will both advance the student's education and have his or her experiences and memories taken seriously and preserved. The following question will be helpful in conducting such an interview. To complete this extra credit assignment, please fill out the following information, and then select 7-10 questions below, primarily the ones that are underlined and bold to ask your interviewee. You will also have the chance to present your interview with the class for additional extra credit.

Name: Age:

Did this person live during Depression or are they going to discuss their parents who lived during the Depression?

Sample Questions

1. When was the first time you remember hearing about or recognizing what the Great Depression meant? 2. What one image do you picture when you think of the Depression? 3. How did your family manage in those times? 4. Where did you live and how did your family come to live there? And/or did your family have to move, where and why? 5. How many were in your family? Were other people besides immediate family (brothers, sisters, parents) living there with you? 6. Describe your apartment or house. What did it have and what did you have before that you no longer could afford? 7. What kind of meals do you remember? 8. Was your clothing store-bought? Homemade? Recycled hand-me-down? Made from feedsacks? Second-hand? 9. How many pairs of shoes did the children typically get in a year? 10. Describe what it was like at the school you attended during the Depression. 11. Who was a memorable teacher and why? 12. What kind of transportation did your family have? 13. What sort of activities did you do for fun/recreation? 14. Tell me about a game you remember playing? 15. What were the prices of a candy bar? A movie? A loaf of bread? A new dress or suit? 16. How old were you when you began to work? Where? Pay? 17. Tell me about a movie from that time period that is memorable and why. 18. Do you remember songs from the Depression years? 19. What were the fashion styles for girls? and/or boys? 20. What were the hairstyles? 21. How often was hair shampooed? What did you use to "suds" up? What was used to set the hair? 22. Do you remember Roosevelt being elected and your family's reaction? 23. What do you remember about the Fireside Chats? 24. What disaster -- besides the Depression -- happened in your town/area during this era? 25. What were some popular slang expressions or old adages you heard often? 26. What advice would you give young people today about the best way to make it through hard times?