The Roaring 20’s, the Great Depression, and World War II Florida History The Roaring 20’s, the Great Depression, and World War II

Florida land boom in the 1920s By 1920, Florida had a population of 968,470 people. Just five years later, the population had grown to 1,263,540. Following World War I, large numbers of Americans finally had the time and money to travel to Florida and to invest in buying land. The automobile became an easy way for families to travel. Florida became a fun destination. During this boom, however, most people who bought and sold land in Florida had never even set foot in the state. With land prices rising rapidly, many of the buyers planned to sell the land at a profit before the payments were due. They were depending on the prices to continually rise.

Florida land boom in the 1920s Laws were also written to help support the land boom. In order to get people to come to Florida, the Florida Legislature passed laws that prohibited state income and inheritance taxes. The railroads continued to grow throughout the 1920s, and Henry Flagler's railroad that connected Southeast Florida with New York caused other rail routes to be built. Some of the cities started during the 1920s include Davis Island , Naples, Marco Island , and Miami Beach.

Florida land boom to bust Because of the rise in land prices, many Floridians could no longer afford to live here. Newspapers advised prospective residents to stay away from Florida. The demand for building materials overwhelmed the railway systems that transported them here. Railroads could not keep up with the needs and began to shut down. This halted many developments, slowing down or stopping the land boom. Once land prices stopped going up, many speculators couldn't sell at the high prices. There were suddenly thousands of acres of overpriced land without any buyers. An unusually cold winter in 1925 followed by an extremely hot summer frightened away many potential buyers. A series of natural disasters (freezes, hurricanes) would send Florida into a tailspin, causing it to enter a Florida Depression four years before the 1929 stock market crash brought the whole country's economy down in the Great Depression

CHALLENGES FLORIDIANS FACED DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION Stock market crash of 1929 starts the Great Depression Unemployment raises and tourism declines Banks were closing To Have and Have Not, painting by Christopher Still

THE NEW DEAL Floridians were reluctant to allow the Federal Government in their lives Floridian farmers needed farm aid Urban Floridians needed jobs A quarter of all residents received government support

THE NEW DEAL PROGRAMS Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC. Young men from all over the country lived in work camps. About 40,000 Floridians participated in the CCC. The workers received food and clothing and their paychecks were sent home to their families. The CCC planted 13 million trees in Florida. The CCC created many of the state parks and wildlife preserves. The CCC also rebuilt the Overseas Railroad connecting Miami to Key West. The Overseas Railroad was originally built by Henry Flagler. The railroad was destroyed in 1935 by a hurricane. The reconstruction finished in 1938 and the railroad was opened once again. The railroad restored tourism to Key West. It is 100 miles long and has more than 40 bridges.

WORLD WAR II Despite Florida's growing tourism, it was still the least- populated southern state in 1940, and ranked only 27th nationally. Many men and women came to Florida to help prepare soldiers for the war. Over 250,000 soldiers came from Florida. Because Florida had a warm climate and a lot of vacant land available, it was ideal for the building of military bases and training soldiers.

WORLD WAR II Florida soon had 172 military installations, ranging from both extremely large to relatively small camps. Two of the larger complexes were Camp Blanding, established near Starke, and the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Camp Blanding became Florida's fourth largest city during World War II. It grew to 180,000 acres and housed 55,000 soldiers at a time. Additional naval stations were reactivated at Key West, Drew and MacDill Air Fields in Tampa, Elgin Field at Valparaiso, and the Pensacola Naval Air Base. Two of the smaller camps were Sopchoppy Bombing Range and Immokalee Army Air Field. By the mid 1940s, there were forty airfields actively training military personnel throughout the state.

WORLD WAR II James Hurd ran a sheet metal shop during the war in Florida The local military personnel would ask for different parts for airplanes. While everyone worked hard, James would limit his employees to 10 hours a day so they did not make mistakes.

WORLD WAR II Jim Ganson, a navigator in the Army Air Force, traveled by train to Tampa before being shipped over to Europe. Jim and his family enjoyed their short time in Florida, so much so that part of his family eventually moved there. “As a kid from a small town in Kansas, I didn’t get to see much of our country. The war took me to many different places. Florida was one of the best!”

WORLD WAR II World War II took place closer to the United States than many people ever realized. German U-Boats sank over twenty-four ships off of Florida's Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. In late February 1942, German submarines attacked four merchant ships near Cape Canaveral. German spies were able to come on shore at Ponte Vedra (near Jacksonville). They were captured before they damage Florida's railroad lines and stop the shipment of war supplies. The Civil Air Patrol was organized in March 1942, to protect the coasts of Florida. The "Mosquito Fleet" also helped to protect the coastlines of Florida.

WORLD WAR II World War II provided the greatest economic growth in American history. The war effort sent large amounts of money into Florida, leading to rebuilding and even growth after the Great Depression. War contracts helped to rebuild Florida's manufacturing, agricultural, and tourism businesses. In 1940, Key West was a small, quaint community of 13,000 but within five years 45,000 people lived in that small city. Miami's population of 173,000 increased to over 325,000 during the winter months of the war years. The 1940s ended with America, particularly Florida, moving into prosperous times. http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/ww_ii/ww_ii1.htm