THE GREAT DEPRESSION OF THE 1930’S “Brother can you spare a dime?”

Causes of Great Depression Overproduction-the 1920’s manufactured and sold many products but consumers lacked the money to buy these items and this caused overproducing

Causes of the Great Depression Speculation-people buying stocks for low prices in hopes that they would sell for a high price later. No guarantee

Causes of the Great Depression Buying on the Margin-buying 10% of a loan and promised to pay it off later. Similar to an installment plan

Farms Decline After WWI Europe no longer needed food from American farmers. Farmers had overproduction of crops they could not sell. In addition overproduction ruined the soil causing the Dust Bowl

Causes of the Great Depression High tariffs- American protective tariffs helped American business but farmers could not sell abroad and Europe also began implementing their own tariffs What is the benefit of a Protective tariff?

STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929 “Black Tuesday”, October 29, 1929 “Black Thursday”, October 24, 1929 Stockbrokers pulled out sold all stocks “Black Tuesday”, October 29, 1929 Members lost everything! No one wanted to buy stocks and millions lost

STRUCTURE OF AMERICAN SOCIETY DISINTEGRATES People lost all their money. Loans were unpaid so people lost their homes/cars Banks became failures due to unpaid loans Demand for goods decreased/people lost their jobs/factories closed No safety nets like unemployment or insurance

Human Impact The Great Depression was a national nightmare. People felt worthless and Pretended to go to work Businesses failed, farmers lost farms, banks failed, millions of people out of work Private charities were overwhelmed. People were homeless and hungry Millions depended on soup kitchens for food

1932 – AMERICAN DREAMS ARE SHATTERED Writers like John Steinbeck and Dorothea Lange recorded the misery of the depression

DUST BOWL (DUST STORMS) OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS 1934-1935

How many states were partially in the region most affected by the Dust Bowl?

Route 66

Black Sunday April 14, 1935 24 hours of a blinding dust storm Dreaded black-blizzard covers entire disaster area 18 storms hit in one year

The Dust Bowl In the 1930’s farmers faced a natural disaster A series of droughts dried up the land from over production of wheat crops in the Midwest Lasting for a year the heavy winds carried topsoil across hundreds of miles, burying homes, cars and destroying harvests

The Dust Bowl Unable to pay bills farmers abandoned their farms and headed onto route 66 to California Oakies-farmers from Oklahoma who moved to migrant worker camps in California to pick fruit

THE VICTIMS OF THE DUST BOWL Colorado Kansas Oklahoma New Mexico Texas Devastation of their cropland Respiratory health issues Unsanitary living Rampant crime Debt-ridden families

Mexican Repatriation Immigration acts of 1920’s did not impose quotas on immigrants from Mexico as a result many Mexicans flourished the U.S. Many settled in barrios in California, Texas and the SW Mexicans were barred from attending white schools

Mexican Repatriation Act As the Great Depression carried on, many whites were looking for jobs carried out by Mexicans Hostilities grew The Mexican Repatriation Act sent Mexicans back to Mexico More than half a million were separated from their families

Herbert Hoover- 31st President Hoover’s philosophy….”This too shall pass”. Laissez Faire/No safety net/Social Darwinism Rugged Individualism Hoover felt that private charities should provide emergency relief

Soup Kitchens

Emergency Relief

Hoover Responds Hoover cut taxes and established the Reconstruction Finance Corp. to give loans to banks and businesses believing that the money would “trickle down” Hoover’s policies were seen too little too late

Lack of Trust Many felt frustrated with Hoover’s lack of leadership By 1932 13 million people were unemployed Hoover roast Hoover flag Hoovervilles/Hoover blankets

Hoovervilles

Hoover Blankets

Hoover Roasts and Hoover Flags