This mock Senate hearing is based on an imaginary investigation into who was to blame for the Great Depression. A letter from Democratic Senator Homer T. Bone introduces the hearing for students. Here is an excerpt from that introduction:


"With the collapse of our economy, we are facing a national crisis of unrivaled proportions. When the stock market crashed in 1929, countless investors lost large sums of money. More than four years later this has been the longest and worst period of high unemployment and low business activity we have seen in modern times. Banks, stores, and factories have closed. Millions of Americans are jobless, homeless, and penniless....


It is time for a detailed investigation into the causes of this economic tragedy so that similar situations can be avoided in the future.... The Senate has appointed me to chair this Special Committee to investigate the question: 'Who was to blame for the Great Depression?' We have already called several witnesses to testify. I have included their statements for you to study."