PROSPERITY, DEPRESSION, & THE NEW DEAL American History II - Unit 4 Ms. Brown

Review What were the 4 long-term causes of the Great Depression? Decline of key industries, farming crisis, overuse of credit, unequal distribution of wealth Why was Hoover (a man who had never held an elected office) overwhelmingly elected as the 31 st POTUS in 1928? Part of the prosperous Republican administration of the post-WWI 1920s Some southern democrats voted Republican due to dislike of Smith’s Catholicism What were some problems with investing the stock market in the 1920s? Speculation, buying on margin, little gov’t restrictions on unrestrained buying/selling of stocks, stocks didn’t reflect companies’ actual wealth What series of events caused banks to collapse after Black Tuesday? Americans tried to withdraw money from banks, banks ran out of money, banks couldn’t pay loans for stocks bought  banks collapsed What was the goal of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff? What did it actually do? Goal – protect American industries to spur economic growth Actual effect – European countries passed similar tariffs and didn’t buy US goods, increased US unemployment

4.6 – LIFE DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Depression in the Cities Evicted from housing  increased homelessness Shantytowns – little towns consisting of shacks Soup kitchens and bread lines– social organizations offered free or low cost food Early 1930s, no system of direct relief – cash payments or food provided by the gov’t to the poor

Depression in the Cities Minorities were hit especially hard during the depression Higher unemployment rates, lower wages Racial violence from unemployed whites competing for the same jobs By 1933 – 24 known black lynching deaths Demand for Latino (mostly Mexicans and Mexican- American) exportation

Depression in Rural Areas Falling crop prices and rising debt  many farmers lost their farms : 400,000 farms foreclosed on (mortgage holder takes back property if an occupant has not made payments) Many farmers turned to tenant farming

Dust Bowl DUST BOWL The region in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, that was made worthless for farming by drought and dust storms during the 1930s. Wind storms could carry dust/soil as far as the east coast Families moved west  “Okies” – negative term for all migrants Over- production of crops Severe drought in early 1930s Plowing removed thick protective layer of prairie grasses

Effects on the American Family Fear that hard times would lead to immoral actions and the destruction families  emphasis of maintaining the family unit Ex: board games for entertainment – Monopoly (1933); radio Relocation of families meant leaving friends and communities behind… family was all they had.

Hoboes In search of employment, some workers left the cities and wandered/hitchhiked the countryside for odd jobs, farmhand work, etc.  “hoboes”, mainly men who left their families Mad Men – The Hobo Code -25 min -36:30 min -44:10 min

Women and the Depression Canned food, sewed clothes, managed budget, childcare Faced employment discrimination from males competing for jobs Head of household if husband left family “I’ve lived in cities for many months, broke, without help, too timid to get in bread lines. I’ve known many women to live like this until they simply faint in the street… A woman will shut herself up in a room until it is taken away from her, and eat a cracker a day and be as quiet as a mouse… She will go for weeks verging on starvation… going through the streets ashamed, sitting in the libraries, parks, going for days without speaking to a living soul, shut up in the terror of her own misery.” – Meridel Le Seur

Children and the Depression Poor diets, lack of nutrition, inadequate/no healthcare (rickets were common) Falling tax revenues  shorten school year or completely close schools  children looked for employment “Wild Boys” – teenage boys left home in search of work, adventure, and an escape from poverty; hopped trains; faced danger, turned to criminal activity “If I leave my mother, it will mean one less mouth to feed.” – Eugene Williams, 13

Social and Psychological Effects of the Depression : suicide rate rose 30%, 3x as many people entered mental hospitals Lost dreams… college, marriage, having children, New habits… increased kindness towards community members and strangers, saving practices, thriftiness

Diary Entry Dust, Drought, and Depression Read Ann Marie Low’s diary entry about life during the Dust Bowl. Answer the 3 questions at the bottom on a separate sheet of paper.