Our Towns, Constitution Contribution
An oral history project

Constitution’s Pennies Campaign, which culminated in her National Cruise, occurred at the beginning of the Great Depression. How could America afford to restore a long-retired warship when the nation was in an economic crisis? How did your town weather the Great Depression? Use these questions as the basis for an oral history project. Ask for volunteers to seek out members in your community who gave to the Pennies Campaign or visited or served aboard Constitution. Students can write letters to the editor of a local newspaper, send notes home with students or make public service announcements on radio and cable TV networks. Other groups of volunteers might interview the individuals, coordinate a visit to the class, create a display of memorabilia and photos and write what the class learned from the project to submit to the local newspaper as a feature article. Interviewers should prepare an interview outline—a list of questions beginning with simple ice breakers to help the interviewee to relax and think back in time, leading to questions that become increasingly complex and specific. If students use a tape recorder, they must first ask for permission. A local historical society and the town library would be good resources for this project

Have on Hand– a map of the United States