This booklet is part of a series designed to help students take and defend a position on public issues. This unit on the New Deal era raises the following issues: (1) How responsible should the government be for the economic well being of citizens? To what extent should this responsibility outweigh traditional ideas of property rights? (2) What are alternatives to the market system as a means of determining prices and wages? What advantages and disadvantages arise from centralized economic planning? and (3) How can we assure all Americans a fair share in the fruits of the economic system? The approach of this unit is to explore the issues through discussion. In discussing public issues, three kinds of questions are examined: (1) ethical or value questions; (2) questions of definition; and (3) questions involving facts and explanations. The unit is divided into five sections. The first is introductory and suggests the methods to be used in learning the material. The second section is devoted to problems that demanded relief. It is subdivided into three sections describing the onset of the Great Depression, the situation of farmers and the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. The third section on recovery and reform discusses the situation of business and the National Recovery Administration (NRA), the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and its attempts to aid the unemployed, and the Social Security Act. The fourth section relates the previous materials to today's issues. The focus is on children of poverty. The final section presents questions for review and research. The appended teacher's guide explains that in addressing the questions of the unit, students will grapple with ethical value questions, definitional issues, and issues of fact and explanation. An example of an exchange between students and a teacher is given to illustrate how the teacher can help students understand that they may need more research and factual information to reach a conclusion. This document offers one way that the teacher can approach the issues presented in the New Deal booklet. The readings in the student book are described and three analogies are offered that the instructor can use to help students analyze how they support or challenge the government regulation of economy. (DK)