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Norris Dam 
December 2014

Explore the potential positive and negative impacts caused by the Tennessee Valley Authority as it builds its first dam, through an interactive classroom experience.  

 

The Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, began as a New Deal program in the 1930s.  Its purpose was to dam the Tennessee River Valley in order to prevent floods and erosion. Norris Dam was the first dam built by the TVA, and for this reason the surrounding communities did not have an opportunity to weigh in on the possible positive or negative impacts of the dam.

 

This is where your classroom comes into play.  By analyzing the documents available to residents in the 1930s and through class discussion, your students will decide if this dam should or should not have been built!

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