Herbert Hoover’s Presidency
About Me 31st president of the United States Republican party Grew up as an orphan and relied on his intelligence and work ethic to become successful Self made business man and millionaire Had very little political experience before becoming president Secretary of Commerce Donated his paycheck to charity while president He once stated, “We shall soon…be in sight of the day when poverty will be banished from this Nation.”
Hoover and the Depression Just 7 months into his presidency the Stock Market crashed launching the nation into depression Heightened stance on Individualism The people need to be more self-reliant Feared that Government interference would hurt the economy even more Tried to balance the federal budget by cutting federal spending and raising taxes Thought that federal aid/relief to the poor would make people too dependent on government As unemployment, homelessness, and hunger grew people became frustrated with Hoover; blaming him for their suffering
Efforts to relieve the depression Placed an emphasis on volunteer efforts and charities Churches, and private charities; Red Cross and Salvation Army The number of people in need was just too overwhelming for the private charities and volunteers Public Works Projects Hoover recognized that the people needed gov’t support Too little, too late Provided some assistance/funding to states towards the end of his term Hoover’s conservative approach was pretty much a failure
Public Works Projects Government funded projects to build resources that benefit the public Examples: dams, roads, bridges, tunnels, National Parks, highways, etc. These projects needed laborers and people needed jobs A lot of modern architecture and our National Parks were created during the Great Depression
Bonus Army March WWI veterans were promised a bonus for the services that wasn’t to be paid until the 1940s Many veterans were jobless and demanded advance payment 12,000-15,000 war vets marched to DC and set up camps outside the capitol to ask congress for advanced payment The senate voted down a bill that would meet the bonus army’s demands Army used tanks and tear gas to drive the Bonus Army out of Washington This made the American public furious
Hoovervilles Shanty towns created by the unemployed, hobos/tramps, and the homeless during the Great Depression Named after President Hoover because these people blamed him for their struggles People would use any type of material they could find to make shelters and houses Ex: scraps of wood, metal scraps, pieces of cars, parts from appliances, etc.