In the 1930s, the United States was beset with an economic crisis so serious that it threatened the future of the nation. On the national level, Franklin Roosevelt initiated and developed a variety of reforms and experiments as part of the New Deal. Some Americans looking for change believed Roosevelt was going in the wrong direction, while others believed he was too timid in his reforms. Still others thought he had not broken free of the restraints placed on him by the financial interests of the country. Many Americans had their own ideas about how to address the financial crisis and took matters into their own hands. In Utopian Movements and Ideas of the Great Depression, Donald W. Whisenhunt explores several lesser-known movements for change and reform in the Great Depression Era including communal societies, proposals for reform, and analyses of several books that propose solutions to the nation's economic ills. Arguably, America has been a Utopian experiment from its beginning; the movements and ideas of the 1930s were simply the latest manifestations of that experiment. Though not well known, the people and events studied represent the thinking of some of the most articulate and driven Americans during the economic crisis. Despite their lack of obvious success, they represent an important American idea-that an average person can devise solutions to society's problems. These movements and ideas embody the American belief in progress and the power of the individual.

In the 1930s, the United States was beset with an economic crisis so serious that it threatened the future of the nation. On the national level, Franklin Roosevelt initiated and developed a variety of reforms and experiments as part of the New Deal. Some Americans looking for change believed Roosevelt was going in the wrong direction, while others believed he was too timid in his reforms. Still others thought he had not broken free of the restraints placed on him by the financial interests of the country. Many Americans had their own ideas about how to address the financial crisis and took matters into their own hands. In Utopian Movements and Ideas of the Great Depression, Donald W. Whisenhunt explores several lesser-known movements for change and reform in the Great Depression Era including communal societies, proposals for reform, and analyses of several books that propose solutions to the nation's economic ills. Arguably, America has been a Utopian experiment from its beginning; the movements and ideas of the 1930s were simply the latest manifestations of that experiment. Though not well known, the people and events studied represent the thinking of some of the most articulate and driven Americans during the economic crisis. Despite their lack of obvious success, they represent an important American idea-that an average person can devise solutions to society's problems. These movements and ideas embody the American belief in progress and the power of the individual.

The Veterans of Future Wars (VFW) was a short-lived student movement that came in response to the bonus paid to World War I veterans in 1936. The VFW began at Princeton University, but quickly spread across the United States, attracting attention from all groups of American citizens. It was extremely popular on college campuses, but it engendered vocal and intemperate opposition from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, chambers of commerce, and other citizens. The student leaders were branded as Communists, Fascists, or other similar subversive groups. The group attracted attention from political leaders; some members of Congress were supportive, but others attacked the group on the floor of the House of Representatives. The student group ended about four or five months after it began. Despite its short life, it was a successful movement that attracted wide support and caused serious discussion about the role of the federal government in providing bonuses to veterans.

American society in the years from 1920 to 1945 experienced great transformation and upheaval. Significant changes in the role of government, in the nation's world outlook, in the economy, in technology, and in the social order challenged those who lived in this tumultuous period framed by the two world wars. This transformation lies at the core of this collection of biographical essays. Each individual in his or her own way grappled with the difficulties of the times. Some of those included here were well known in their day and afterwards, but many led lives now obscured by the passage of time. In these essays are men and women, African-Americans, Hispanics, whites, and Native Americans from all regions of the country. Written by leading and rising scholars, these never-before-published pieces provide students with a greater understanding of a period that in many ways represents an important last chapter in the creation of modern America. Providing a rich portrait through biography of the interwar years, The Human Tradition in America between the Wars is an excellent text for the following courses: Twentieth Century American History to 1945, American history survey, the Depression and the New Deal, and American social and cultural history.

The focus of Reading the Twentieth Century is on the role of the United States in the world in the twentieth century, after the nation became a major world player. Readings include public documents, memoirs, and media comments, many of which have never been published before. The book is structured in such a way that portions can be assigned to students, and the order of presentation is such that instructors can assign sections chronologically or thematically. Though highly informative, the editor's chapter introductions and the document head notes are brief, designed only to introduce the subjects so that the documents can speak for themselves.

The focus of Reading the Twentieth Century is on the role of the United States in the world in the twentieth century, after the nation became a major world player. Readings include public documents, memoirs, and media comments, many of which have never been published before. The book is structured in such a way that portions can be assigned to students, and the order of presentation is such that instructors can assign sections chronologically or thematically. Though highly informative, the editor's chapter introductions and the document head notes are brief, designed only to introduce the subjects so that the documents can speak for themselves.

" One of the most important women of the 20th Century, Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) was also one of its most prolific letter writers. Yet never before has a selection of her letters to public figures, world leaders, and individuals outside her family been made available to general readers and to historians unable to visit the archives at Hyde Park. It Seems to Me demonstrates Roosevelt's significance as a stateswoman and professional politician, particularly after her husband's death in 1945. These letters reveal a dimension of her personality often lost in collections of letters to family members and friends, that of a shrewd, self-confident woman unafraid to speak her mind. In her letters, Roosevelt lectured Truman, badgered Eisenhower, and critiqued Kennedy. She disagreed with the Catholic Church over aid to parochial schools, made recommendations for political appointments, expressed her opinion on the conviction of Alger Hiss. Some letters demonstrate her commitment to civil rights, many her understanding of Cold War politics, and still others her support of labor unions. As a whole, this collection provides unique insights into both Eleanor Roosevelt's public life, as well as American culture and politics during the decades following World War II.

Herbert Clark Hoover (10 August 1874-20 October 1964), the 31st President of the United States (1929-1933), was a successful mining engineer, the peoples icon, and administrator. He showed the Efficiency Movement component of the Progressive Era, arguing there were other solutions to all social and economic problems - a position that was challenged by the Great Depression that began while he was President. Hoover had a distinguished public service career before becoming president at a time of great religious and social turmoil. He had the misfortune to arrive at the presidency at the same time as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the outset of the Great Depression and his legacy to this day carries that stigma. He nevertheless is generally ranked in the middle of the pack of effective presidents.

Herbert Clark Hoover (10 August 1874 - 20 October 1964), the 31st President of the United States (1929-1933), was a successful mining engineer, the people's icon, and administrator. He showed the Efficiency Movement component of the Progressive Era, arguing there were other solutions to all social and economic problems -- a position that was challenged by the Great Depression that began while he was President. Hoover had a distinguished public service career before becoming president at a time of great religious and social turmoil. He had the misfortune to arrive at the presidency at the same time as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the outset of the Great Depression and his legacy to this day carries that stigma. He nevertheless is generally ranked in the middle of the pack of effective presidents.

The Great Depression was one of the most traumatic events of recent American history. Donald W. Whisenhunt has analyzed, and provided context for, the vast collection of poetry and song lyrics in the Hoover and Roosevelt presidential libraries to assess another aspect of American public opinion.
The poets of the era voiced their opinions on virtually every subject. They wrote about New Deal agencies, they praised and condemned Hoover and Roosevelt. They expressed their views about the Supreme Court, the third term, and the approaching war in Europe. The resulting study, arranged topically rather than chronologically, provides a unique perspective on American popular culture and American politics.