Let’s Review –Look over your notes and discuss How did society change during the Great Depression as a result of the Dust Bowl? What are the major differences between entertainment and social life in the 20s and the 30s?

SSHS-S1C8-01-b-c Strand 1: American History Concept 8: Great Depression and World War I P.O. 1: Describe causes and consequences of the Great Depression c. Effects on society Students will comprehend the reasons why Hoover was opposed to doing more about the economy by identifying the political beliefs of Hoover.

Hoover Responds to the Depression Or why people hated him

Rugged Individualism Hoover tried to remain optimistic Didn’t believe the government should help Saw how European countries turned to Socialism after WWI and thought that was why those countries didn’t recover Believed if people just tried harder and worked harder they would be able to recover

American Individualism Wrote the book American Individualism Was all about how the American system was the best social, political, spiritual, and economic system American Exceptionalism Because of this it was really hard for Hoover to propose more government help

What to do? Hoover was worried so he organized conferences with banks, railroads, and other big companies to try to out a solution Industry leaders originally promised not to slash wages but broke that promise by 1931 Hoover increased funding for Public works -helped only a fraction

Trying to rescue the banks Hoover asked the Federal Reserve Board to add more money into circulation The Board refused so Hoover set up the National Credit Corporation (NCC) Created a pool of money for banks to lend to their communities Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)

Direct Help for Citizens Hoover strongly opposed giving direct help to citizens Believed that state and local government should help and then charities should fill in any gaps Problem with this was no one had any money due to the Depression so they couldn’t donate to charities Congress finally passed the Emergency Relief and Construction Act which Hoover reluctantly signed For the first time in American history, the Federal Government was supplying direct relief funds

Were People Actually Dying? President Herbert Hoover declared, "Nobody is actually starving. The hoboes are better fed than they have ever been." In New York City in 1931, there were 20 known cases of starvation; in 1934, there were 110 deaths caused by hunger. There were so many accounts of people starving in New York that the West African nation of Cameroon sent $3.77 in relief. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3434

In an Angry Mood Hunger Marches -Organized by the American Communist Party Looting and stealing from grocery stores A group marched on Washington D.C. a group of about 1,200 chanted “Feed the hungry, tax the rich”

Struggle of the Farmers Dairy farmers dumped milk to protest the low prices Farmers burned some of their crops try to drive up prices In Nebraska farmers burned corn to heat their homes Nearly one million farms were foreclosed between 1930-1934

The Bonus Army World War I veterans were supposed to get a $1,000 bonus in 1945 in 1929 Texas congressman Wright Patman introduced a bill that would give these bonuses early 1932 a few hundred Oregon vets began marching to Washington D.C. to lobby for the passage of the legislation As they went, others joined Once they got to D.C. they numbered around 15,000 people Lived in hoovervilles

Reaction The senate voted down the bill Hoover said Congress made provisions for the return home of these marchers Many left but not all Hoover ordered the buildings where the marchers were living to be cleared An officer panicked and fired into the crowd killing two vets

Reaction Security of War asked to send in the army to clear out the buildings Hoover said yes but to leave the camps alone General Douglas MacArthur was in charge of clearing the vets

The Reaction The President, worried that the government reaction might look overly harsh, did not wish the Army to pursue the Bonus Marchers across the bridge into their main encampment on the other side of the Anacostia River. MacArthur, according to his aide Dwight Eisenhower, "said he was too busy," did not want to be "bothered by people coming down and pretending to bring orders,“ General Douglas MacArthur ignored Hoover and sent in the cavalry, infantry, and tanks to clear out the camps Used teargas and burned the shacks

Let’s Review How did President Hoover’s governing philosophy influence his efforts to combat the Great Depression? What did civilians do to better their situation during the Great Depression?