AP U.S. History / Period 7: 1890–1945
Lesson
Depression, New Deal, and World War II
Crisis expanded the federal government's everyday role.
Learning goals
- Explain the New Deal as an experimental response to mass unemployment.
- Describe how World War II changed the state's size and America's world role.
Explanation
The Great Depression destroyed jobs, banks, and faith that the market would correct itself quickly. The New Deal tried relief, recovery, and reform: jobs programs, banking rules, labor rights, and a new expectation that Washington would act in a downturn. It did not end the Depression by itself, and it left many Black Americans, women, and agricultural workers only partly covered.
World War II then built a wartime state of draft, production boards, and global alliances. The United States came out as a leading military and economic power. Internment of Japanese Americans shows that national security claims could crush rights even as the government talked about freedom. End the period with both the stronger state and its contradictions.
Key terms
- New Deal. Franklin Roosevelt's programs that expanded federal responsibility for relief, regulation, and economic security.
- internment. The forced relocation and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Common mistakes
- Claiming the New Deal 'ended the Depression' as a complete story.
- Treating World War II only as foreign battles and skipping the home-front state.
Practice
Original Marlow Works items. Check the answer explanation after you try.
Evaluate the extent to which industrialization transformed urban life and labor in the United States from 1890 to 1920. In a short essay, present a thesis, use at least two specific pieces of evidence, and acknowledge one continuity.
Original Marlow Works item — not a College Board question.
Take your time—this is practice, not a test.
Answer explanation
What continuity links the New Deal and World War II?
Answer. Both expanded federal power over the economy and daily life, first for relief and then for war production.
Period 7 is a state-building story as much as a presidents story.
Related resources
External links with reuse status. Marlow Works is independent and does not copy restricted exam or textbook material.
Official / link only
AP U.S. History course page
Official nine-period framework, skills, and exam updates.
College Board · All rights reserved · accessed 2026-10-01
Open sourceCC BY — attribution required
U.S. History (Open Textbook Library)
Open U.S. history textbook for chronology and institutions background.
Open Textbook Library listing · CC BY · accessed 2026-10-01
Open source