Depression Hits Texas

Great Depression Begins 1929 Stock market crashed Factories ran out of money and closed Unemployed people could not buy products so more factories closed Texas cotton farmers suffered People could not afford new houses so the timber industry suffered

Oil Industry Suffers 1930 the East Texas Oil Field was tapped Thousands of people moved to east Texas for work The oil field became the largest in the state Supply grew, demand remained the same, and prices dropped In fear of losing oil, people kept drilling and the price kept falling

Cotton Farmers Even though cotton prices dropped, cotton was still the most produced crop Texas tried to pass the ‘drop a crop’ law to limit production Under the new law, cotton could not be planted in Texas The law was ruled unconstitutional

Dust Bowl In the panhandle farmers began using tractors Allowed for massive farms to plant several different types of crops Overproduction left many farmers without money to replant crops

Dust Bowl 1932-1941 Severe drought in the 1930s did not allow grass to grow on plowed fields Wind carried dust from the Canadian border all the way to central Texas

Minorities AA and MA were fired from jobs if they could not prove citizenship AA and MA began migrating to Mexico to survive

Assignment Copy and answer the following questions using your notes and pages 498-502 List two results of the stock market crash. What was the ‘drop a crop’ law? What happened to minorities during the great depression? Create a chart showing how factories, timber workers, oil production, and cotton crops were affected by the great depression. Industry How it was effected Factories Timber Workers Oil Production Cotton Crops