The Human Impact of Bank Failures: The Demise of Bankers Trust Company
In this lesson, students will read primary documents related to the failure of the Bankers Trust Company in 1930. It is assumed that students have already begun their study of the Great Depression at a national level. The story of Bankers Trust in Philadelphia can be introduced as a case study for how a bank failure impacted individuals in one American city. Students will analyze the documents and evaluate the impact that the bank failure had on different individuals.