The Depression SSUSH17 The student will analyze the causes and consequences of the Great Depression. b. Explain the impact of the drought in the creation of the Dust Bowl. c. Explain the social and political impact of widespread unemployment that resulted in developments such as Hoovervilles.
Effects of the Depression The Depression left millions out of work and without anything – many lost all of their belongings and their homes and couldn’t feed themselves The impact was equal among all workers – from Professionals and white collar workers to blue collar workers and farmers people lost their homes and crowded into small homes and apartments those at the bottom of the economic ladder were hit the hardest and the homeless population skyrocketed homeless people often built shanty towns out of scrap metal and cardboard – these became known as Hoovervilles to mock the President who many felt wasn’t doing enough to help
The Depression con’t 1 million became permanently on the move soup kitchens and bread lines, which offered free or low-cost food, became the only way many people could eat people grew food in the country, but people in the city begged and fought over the contents of restaurant garbage cans the Depression hit African Americans and Latinos harder – their unemployment rates were higher, they were the lowest paid, and dealt with increasing racial violence from unemployed whites who felt they were entitled to the jobs
Impact on Farmers low crop prices cut into the income of farmers and many lost their farms when they couldn’t pay the mortgages to protest the low prices, many farmers dumped thousands of gallons of milk and destroyed crops – shocking to a starving nation the problems were worsened by an environmental problem – much of the soil had been blown out of the Great Plains as a result of overproduction of crops, drought, and wind many people took to calling this the Dust Bowl – 60% of farmers here lost their farms most left the land and headed west looking for work
Effects of Poverty on Society many men had difficulty coping with unemployment because they were used to going to work everyday and supporting their families – most spent their days looking for work and some abandoned their families and became hoboes who waundered the country on boxcars, sleeping under bridges women worked hard to help their families survive – they canned food and sewed clothes while carefully managing the household budget many women also worked outside the home even though they made less than men and were greatly resented – many felt women, especially married women, had no right to work when so many men were unemployed thousands of people were starving – this would have a lasting impact on children Tramps playing cards on a train
Effects of Poverty on Society con’t children lacked sufficient health care and, coupled with malnutrition, disease became a problem because of falling tax revenues, schools shortened the school year or closed altogether – many children worked in horrible conditions or traveled the country looking for work between 1928 and 1932, the suicide rate rose by 30 percent and more than three times as many people were admitted to state mental hospitals many Americans made sacrifices that followed them for the rest of their lives – they stopped going to the doctor and dentist, young people gave up going to college, people put off getting married and having children for Americans who survived the Depression, achieving financial security was the primary focus in life and many will retain their thrifty ways
Pulling Together When the Great Depression began, there was no federal system of direct relief – there were no programs to offer cash, food, or shelter to the poor As a result, Americans were forced to pull together and help their neighbors Farmers helped their friends and neighbors keep their land through penny auctions – bidding pennies on land and equipment and returning it to its original owner People gave food, clothing, and a place to stay to the needy
Hoover’s Attempts to End the Depression President Hoover proposed programs to help the nation out of Depression, he blamed the problems on “world-wide economic conditions beyond our control” instead of taking responsibility for problems with the American economy He wanted businesses to voluntarily enact programs Hoover began a few public works projects to give jobs, including the construction of the Hoover Dam Hawley-Smoot tariff passed in 1930 to protect domestic industries from foreign imports – it enacted a huge import tariff which backfired Several other acts were passed in an effort to stimulate business, but they had little effect For the most part, Hoover wanted state and local government to manage their own relief projects Hoover Dam
Hoover’s reputation was further tarnished by his handling of a gathering of WWI veterans and their families, calling themselves the Bonus Army, who came to Washington, D.C. in the spring of 1932 to support a bill in Congress that would have paid a bonus to WWI vets who had not been adequately compensated for their service This was supposed to be paid in 1945, but some in Congress felt it should be paid immediately The bill was voted down, but about 2,000 members of the Bonus Army failed to leave because they wanted to meet with the President Hoover, afraid the group would become violent, ordered the group to be disbanded The army was called in and things got violent - gas and bullets were used, resulting in a few deaths Hoover Mishandles the Bonus Army
Election of 1932 By the summer of 1932, Americans were growing weary of Hoover’s seeming inaction The Democratic Party nominated Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) to run against Hoover for President For voters, it was a decision between two styles of government – the idea that the federal government could not and should not try to fix people’s problems (Hoover) and those who felt the Depression required the government’s help (FDR) Hoover was so unpopular that even Republicans voted for FDR – he won by an astonishing 7 million votes
Results of Election of 1932