1. The Great Depression

2. The Farmers
By the 1930s, farmers had entered their second decade of depressed prices.
In the early years of the depression, thousands had lost their homes to foreclosure.
Banks took possession of farmers’ homes
Banks would then sell the homes & farms at auction.

3. Plans to Keep the Farm
Penny auctions- staged sales of property for pennies to friends, who returned it later.
Borrowing money from relatives helped others to stay on their farms longer.
Farmers on the Plains were not able to make this work for long, due to the “Dust Bowl”.

4. Tenant Farmers Did not own the land they worked
Made them very vulnerable to changes in the farm economy during the 1930s
When the government paid farmers to let farm land go unplanted, most chose the land that the tenants farmed
As landowners used their government checks to buy equipment, they no longer needed hired hands to help farm.

5. Mexican & Mexican American Workers
Had generally been welcomed in the California fields as seasonal workers
Between 1931 & 1934 LA officials rounded up 12,000 people of Mexican descent for deportation (some were US citizens)
As the farm economy worsened, many fled to cities for work.

6. Think, Write, Pair, Share
What was the root cause of the poor farm economy?
What did government do to try to help?
How were those who relied on farming for a living affected?

7. Life in the Cities
By 1933, 25% of people in cities were unemployed.(national average)
In Buffalo, NY it was 30%
Chicago & Cleveland it was 50%
Toledo, OH it was 80%
Downtown shops closed
People sold apples on the streets
Beggars roved the sidewalks asking for spare change

8. Silence is Deadly Factory smokestacks emitted no smoke
Construction sites were silent with half built structures just sitting there
Everything slowed down
The lack of activity was a sure sign of the depression

9. Unemployed in the City
The layoffs began after a couple of years of the economic downturn
African Americans and other minorities were the first laid off
Full time employees were asked to job share
Then these scaled down jobs were cut

10. Living in the Cities
With wage reductions, many working people were no better off than the unemployed
May have 15 people living in an apartment meant for a family of 3
Still they had trouble paying the rent and eviction notices were common

11. The Homeless
It is estimated that by 1932, 2 million people were on the road looking for work and a place to settle.
Temporary shelters were called Hoovervilles
Often, people had to scrounge garbage cans for food

12. Compare/Contrast
With the knowledge you have of the Okies, and the info you have been given today; draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the farmers and city dwellers during the Depression.