American History Chapter 15: Crash and Depression II. Social Effects of the Depression

Objectives Understand how poverty spread during the Great Depression. Find out about social problems that were caused by poverty in the 1930s. Discover how some people struggled to survive hard times

Bell Ringer How would you cut back on expenses if your cash funds were limited? How would you feel? (Page 513)

A) Poverty Spreads All people became poor Lowest paid hit hard Hoovervilles: homeless shanty towns 15,000 homeless in New York – no jobs Farmers suffered from low prices – lost farms – destroyed crops and dumped milk in protest – starving nation Dust Bowl: drought that moved tons of soil in the Great Plains Drought and farm practices – no prairie grass

B) Poverty Strains Society Anxiety, depressed, and suicide Impact on Health: people died of starving – children hit hard/quit school– relief gardens Stress on Families: men felt like failures – could not provide for families – married women fired – took jobs away Discrimination Increases: competition for jobs produced suspicions and hostilities against minorities. Minorities deported. 56% unemployment for blacks No aid for minorities – lynchings increased – Scottsboro case. Dorothea Lange

C) Stories of Survival Wilson Ledford Lived off rent of house and 15 acres they owned $6 a month Swapped work Dollar a week to live on Raised food Raised chickens Made jelly from wild blackberries Quit high school Made a baseball diamond Worked hauling ice Plowing Hitchhiking Worked at a dam

Review How did poverty spread during the Great Depression? What social problems were caused by poverty in the 1930s? How did some people struggle o survive hard times?