1. By: Sarah Santamaria, Adriana Gutierrez
The Dust Bowl
By: Sarah Santamaria, Adriana Gutierrez
and Valerie De Paz
MT 5 in U.S History
Level 4 Project

2. Who were the most affected during the Dust Bowl? Why?

3. Farmers
All these conditions destroyed grasses that held the soil in place
These storms were called “Black Blizzards”
Parts of the Great Plains became known as the Dust Bowl
Why?
Farmers land was denatured of natural resources
How?
Severe Drought (No rain)
Overgrazing by cattle
Over plowing by farmers

4. What obstacles did families face in order to survive during the Dust Bowl?

5. Obstacles Hunger No work, no money, no food Unemployment
Farms were destroyed
Too many with no work  
Migration
Slept in tents, along the road
poor transportation
Loss of Property
land (farms)
housing
money

6. What did the farming families do after the Dust Bowl occurred?

7. After the Dust Bowl Occurred
Most farmers migrated to Southern California hoping to find farm jobs in the fertile areas.
-Many did not even make it to California due to:
malnutrition
starvation
diseases

8. What were the struggles the farming families encountered in California?

9. The struggles were… Work Housing Very little job opportunities
Large population
Dry farms
Worked for very low wages
Americans were cruel to the migrants
Called “Okies”
Migrants had no homes in America
Usually lived in Hoovervilles or Shantytowns
Or camped out in tents

10. What were some of the programs that were created and how did they help the farmers?

11. Government Agencies
Resettlement Agency (RA)
The Farm Security Administration (FSA)
Established to help needy families move into government-planned communities.
Helped poor farmers, sharecroppers, tenant farmers and migrant workers

12. Population of Migrants in California:

13. The Grapes of Wrath Published:1939 Written by: John Steinbeck
Type of work: Novel
Genre: Realistic fiction
Setting; Oklahoma, California, and points along the way
Late 1930’s
Tone: sympathetic or mournful

14. The Grapes of Wrath Themes: Man’s inhumanity to those around them
The saving power of Family and Fellowship
The Multiplying Effects of Selfishness

15. Plot
After being forced to leave their farm due to the Dust Bowl, The Joad family made their way to California with unexpected events ahead.
Tough times along the road heading California

16. How does this book relate to this topic?
Dust Bowl
The Grapes of Wrath
Lost Farms
Homelessness and jobless
Forced to leave towards California
Poor transportation
Not welcomed to California
Migrants were mislead about the goods of California
Joad family had lost land
Searching for jobs in California
Car broke down couple of times
Had to lie to get in California
They lost family members on the way
Don’t know if the Joad family is going to make it

18. Citations
Burns, K. (2012). The Dust Bowl: A Film by Ken Burns. PBS. Retrieved from:
Wilhite, A. D. (2007). Dust Bowl. Oklahoma’s Historical Society’s: Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved from:
Gregory, J. (2012). The Great Depression in Washington State. Pacific Northwest Labor & Civil Rights Projects. Retrieved from:
WGHB. (2013). Timeline of the Great Depression. P.B.S. Retrieved from: Nelson, C. About the Dust Bowl. Modern American Poetry. Retrieved from:
Thompson, C. (2008, Nov. 24). The Dust Bowl. Slideshare. Retrieved from:
The Dust Bowl. Your History Site. Retrieved from: yourhistorysite.com/US%20History%20PowerPoints/dustbowl.ppt
Life in the Dust Bowl. Retrieved from:
Cabrera, I. (2012, Mar. 25). The Dust Bowl. Slideshare. Retrieved from:
Wilson, R. (2009, Jun. 2). The Dust Bowl. Slideshare. Retrieved from: