Name: ___________________________
WWII Primary Source Analysis
Assignment
The Holocaust in US Newspapers
Directions: You will be given 7 minutes to analyze and answer the
questions about each newspaper. As you read each, answer the questions
that follow. Also, look for evidence with which to answer the “Capstone”
question at the end of this packet.
Newspaper 1
1.
What’s the date of this newspaper? How early do US citizens know about
the German Nazi’s horrible anti-Semitism?
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2.
Was the Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses effective? Why, or why not?
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3.
What does Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, say about
the difficulty of replicating such a boycott again, or perhaps even making
it permanent? What does this say about the popularity of Hitler’s antiSemitic ideas?
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Look at the newspaper on the reverse of #1, and answer the question below…
1.
Again, what is the date of this newspaper?
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2.
Read the first paragraph of the story. Where does Germany want to get its
money for Goering’s four-year economic plan? And, how much money
are they taking?
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Newspaper 2
1. What’s the date of this newspaper?
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2. Look at “Hysterical Nazis Wreck Thousands of Jewish shops…” Why is this
night known to historians as “Krystal-nacht?”
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3. Why were Nazi’s rioting? How did Jews respond to the rioting?
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4. Look at “Armistice Day Starts World on New Cycle.” Ironically, what
anniversary was being celebrated on the same night as “Krystal-nacht?” How
does this newspaper describe the hope of another twenty years of peace?
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Look at the newspaper on the reverse of #2, and answer the question below…
5. Describe what you see in this photo of Krystal-nacht…
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Newspaper 3
1. Look at the date of this newspaper and the main headline. How early did the
USA know of Germany’s plans to murder Jews?
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2. Look at “Hitler Organ Sounds Cry for Elimination.” What does Nazi stormtrooper Das Schwarz Korps predict of Jews who remain in the country after
Germany’s final enforcement of anti-Semitic measures?
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3. What was the US reaction to the new Nazi decrees? Are you surprised that
we did not take a firmer stand?
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Look at the newspaper on the reverse of #3, and answer the question below…
4. What event in the war went on during this day in 1939? Using what you
already know, what was the reaction by the Allies to this turn of events?
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Newspaper 4
1. Look at the date of this newspaper and the main headline. What famous event
in the war happened on this date?
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2. Read “Roosevelt in Plea Against Horrors.” What “horrors” is FDR pleading
against?
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3. What do you think the conquering of Poland will mean for Polish Jews? Why
then do you think it isn’t even mentioned in this newspaper?
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Look at the newspaper on the reverse of #4, and answer the question below…
4. According to the pictures and the print on the bottom of the page, how are
Jews in other parts of the world reacting to the atrocities happening in Hitler’s
German empire?
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Newspaper 5
1. Look at the date of this newspaper and the main headline on this page. Did
the USA know about the Holocaust before it liberated Europe in 1945?
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2. If such a story appeared all the way on the seventh page of a Jewish
newspaper, where do you think such a story would appear in a mainstream
public newspaper? Why? What’s more important than this story where it
would appear insignificant?
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3. How does the article describe the conditions in the Jewish ghetto in Poland?
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Look at the newspaper on the reverse of #5, and answer the question below…
4. According to the article, what was “revealed” about the Allies’ advance? Is
this a true statement, or did the Allies know about the horrors of the Holocaust
long before 1945?
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Capstone Questions:
After you have been to
all five stations, answer the questions that follow…
After viewing the newspaper stories chronicling the Nazi extermination of Jews,
do you think that the USA should or could have acted sooner in an attempt to
avoid the Holocaust? Why or why not?
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Do you believe that the US should become involved in stopping genocides today
like the one currently in Darfur? Why or why not?
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