The Great Depression and the 1930s 1929-1939

Table of Contents The Stock Market Crash Causes of the Great Depression Impact on Americans Herbert Hoover Franklin D. Roosevelt The New Deal FDR and the American People The Dust Bowl World War II begins

The Stock Market Crash 1929 Back to contents

What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression? The stock market crashed, October 29, 1929 This day became known as “Black Tuesday” This pictures shows the panic on Wall Street during the Stock Market crash of 1929 Back to contents

What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression? Back to contents

What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression? Back to contents

What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression? Back to contents

What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression? Back to contents

What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression? Back to contents

What event marked the beginning of the Great Depression? Back to contents

Causes of the Great Depression Over speculation of Stocks Federal Reserve High Tariffs Back to contents

What were the causes of the Great Depression What were the causes of the Great Depression? Over speculation of stocks People wanted to get rich in the 1920s by investing in stocks People often borrowed money from banks to buy stocks When the stock prices dropped, people could not afford to pay back the banks! Back to contents

What were the causes of the Great Depression? The Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve failed to prevent the collapse of the banking system Back to contents

What were the causes of the Great Depression? The Federal Reserve Confused? Back to contents

What were the causes of the Great Depression? The Federal Reserve What does all this mean? 1. The Federal Reserve supplies banks with their money 2. The banks loaned all of their money to people who were buying stocks 3. Stock prices dropped 4. People lost money Back to contents

What were the causes of the Great Depression? The Federal Reserve What does all this mean? 5. People could not afford to pay back the bank 6. The banks had no money! 7. When people went to get money out of the banks that they were saving, there was no money left!

What were the causes of the Great Depression? High Tariffs High Tariffs of the 1920s strangled (stopped) international trade People could not get goods from another country at a cheaper price to save money Back to contents

Employment Farmers Community Help Impact on Americans Employment Farmers Community Help Back to contents

Impact on Americans: Banks and Businesses How were the lives of Americans affected by the Great Depression? 1. Banks and Businesses Failed Back to contents

Impact on Americans: Banks and Businesses How were the lives of Americans affected by the Great Depression? ¼ of all Americans did not have a job. They tried to find work by riding the rails or migrant work. People with jobs People without jobs Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression Why do you think the children are in these fields? Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression How were times different in the 1930s than they were in the 1920s? Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression Where do you think these people are heading? Why do you think they do not have any tires on the car (left picture)? Back to contents

Migrant workers of the Great Depression What part of the country do you think she’s in when this picture was taken? What do you think she is thinking about? How old do you think the lady in the picture is? Back to contents

Dorthea Lange, Migrant Mother photograph In 1960, Lange gave this account of the experience: I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. Works Progress Administration Back to contents

Dorthea Lange, Migrant Mother photograph She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean- to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it. (From: Popular Photography, Feb. 1960). Works Progress Administration Back to contents

Impact on Americans: Hungry and Homeless How were the lives of Americans affected by the Great Depression? 3. Many Americans were hungry and homeless Back to contents

Hungry and Homeless during Depression Back to contents

Hungry and Homeless during Depression Back to contents

Hungry and Homeless during Depression Back to contents

Hungry and Homeless during Depression “One vivid, gruesome moment of those dark days we shall never forget,” recalls one citizen from the Great Depression in 1931. “We saw a crowd of some fifty men fighting over a barrel of garbage which had been set outside the back door of a restaurant. American citizens fighting for scraps of food like animals!” –Louise V. Armstrong, 1941 Back to contents

Hungry and Homeless during Depression “In an Appalachian Mountains school, a child who looked sick was told by her teacher to go home and get something to eat. ‘I can’t,’ the girl replied. ‘It’s my sister’s day to eat.’” –Oates and Errico, Portrait of America Back to contents

Hungry and Homeless during Depression Back to contents

Impact on Americans: Farmers How were the lives of Americans affected by the Great Depression? 4. Farmer’s incomes fell to low levels Back to contents

Farmers of the Great Depression Back to contents

Farmers of the Great Depression Back to contents

Impact on Americans: Community Help How did the community try to help the homeless and the hungry? a. Soup Kitchens, breadlines Back to contents

Impact on Americans: Community Help How did the community try to help the homeless and the hungry? a. Soup Kitchens, breadlines b. Cut back on services (police; fire dept.; trash) c. Closed schools or cut teachers salaries d. Penny Auctions Back to contents

Impact on Americans: Penny Auctions What is a penny auction? A lot of times during the Great Depression, farmers could not afford to pay what they owed on their farm and would lose their farms to the bank. The bank would then sell these ‘foreclosed’ properties at auctions Farmers would go to the auctions and try to purchase the land for very low costs Farmers got very upset when non-farmers came to the auctions and tried to put in high bids for the property Back to contents

President at the beginning of the Great Depression 1929-1933 Herbert Hoover President at the beginning of the Great Depression 1929-1933 Back to contents

Herbert Hoover President at the beginning of the Great Depression Inaugural address, March 1929 (7 months before the Great Depression) “We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us. I have no fears for the future of our country. It is bright with hope.” Back to contents

Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover was president at the beginning of the Great Depression. How did he deal with the problems in our economy? Back to contents

Herbert Hoover How did he deal with the problems in our economy? Many people blamed Hoover for the Depression They felt like he did not help the American people Hoover was like a ‘Cheerleader,’ telling everyone it would be OK. Hoover believed that if the government helped out too much, people would stop trying to help themselves Back to contents

Herbert Hoover “It is solely a question of the best method by which hunger and cold shall be prevented…I am willing to pledge myself that if the time should ever come that the voluntary agencies of the country, together with the local and state governments, are unable to find resources with which to prevent hunger and suffering in my country, I will ask the aid of every resource of the Federal Government…I have faith in the American people that such a day will not come.” Back to contents

The Great Depression Begins

Franklin Delano Roosevelt President, 1933-1944 Back to contents

Franklin D. Roosevelt President during most of the Great Depression “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Back to contents

Franklin D. Roosevelt What is going on in this political cartoon? Who is walking away? What is F.D.R. carrying? What do you think is symbolized in this cartoon? Back to contents

The New Deal Social Security Act Federal Works Programs Environmental Improvement Programs Farm Assistance Programs Increased Rights for Labor Back to contents

Social Security Act Established a tax paid by bosses and employees This tax is used to pay pensions (a retirement income) to older Americans (age 65 and older) Back to contents

Social Security Act This also helps with survivors insurance (if your parent passes away and you need support) Back to contents

Social Security Act What is the main group of Americans that benefited from the Social Security Act? Back to contents

Social Security Act What is the main group of Americans that benefited from the Social Security Act? The elderly, like the guy on the left. Which president created the Social Security Act? Back to contents

Federal Works Programs (WPA, PWA) Works Progress Administration Built roads, bridges, parks, and public buildings like schools, and libraries. Also, paid artists (such as Dorthea Lange) to record life during this time period. Public Works Administration Also built roads and highways Back to contents

Federal Works Programs (WPA, PWA) Works Progress Administration This D.C. bridge was built by workers in the Works Progress Administration. Why was confidence needed during this period? Back to contents

Federal Works Programs (WPA, PWA) Works Progress Administration What types of work did the people in the WPA do? Who benefited from the WPA? Back to contents

Federal Works Programs (WPA, PWA) Public Works Administration, bridge Back to contents

Federal Works Programs (CCC, TVA) Civilian Conservation Corps Built wildlife preserves, planted trees, built lookout towers for fires, took care of forest roads and trails What types of people worked in the CCC? Back to contents

Federal Works Programs (CCC, TVA) Civilian Conservation Corps Back to contents

Environmental Improvement Programs (CCC, TVA) Tennessee Valley Authority Built dams in this area to control farming. Brought electricity to farmers in this region. Back to contents

Environmental Improvement Programs (CCC, TVA) Tennessee Valley Authority Back to contents

Farm Assistance Programs (Agricultural Adjustment Act) Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) Helped farmers to get higher prices for their crops Paid farmers to grow less crops You get paid more money for less work! How would this happen??? Back to contents

Increased Rights for Labor Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Established a minimum wage. This made employers pay at least 25 cents/hour Set a work week of 44 hours It made it against the law for those under 16 to work National Industry Recovery Act (NRA): Helped labor unions by promising workers the right to work with unions Unions would help to get better pay and work conditions Back to contents

Fair Labor Standards Act, Cartoon What is going on in this cartoon? Who is the thief? Why is that person the thief? What did the Fair Labor Standards Act do to stop this? Back to contents

National Industry Recovery Act: Back to contents

F.D.R. and the American People Fireside Chats Bank Holidays FDIC Eleanor Roosevelt Back to contents

Fireside Chats Weekly radio programs in which FDR spoke directly to the people about what he was trying to do to improve conditions This uplifted the spirits of the American people Back to contents

Fireside Chats Back to contents

Fireside Chats What does the person in the chair represent? Why is his face bandaged? Who is he listening to? Back to contents

Bank Holiday 4 days that the banks would be closed so the government could check bank records They could see which banks were the strongest and could survive Back to contents

A Dusty Time in American History The Dust Bowl A Dusty Time in American History Back to contents

The Dust Bowl The Great Plains regions had been over- farmed during World War I. This led to erosion. Then, great winds moved into the region and lasted. This picked up the soil. Tons soil were blown into the Gulf of Mexico. Farming was impossible, and living in this area was almost impossible as well. Back to contents

The Dust Bowl This picture shows an example of erosion in the land. What do you think the cow things of this weather? What artist would have most likely painted a picture of this scene? Back to contents

The Dust Bowl Question: What regions were affected by the Dust Bowl? Back to contents

The Dust Bowl Back to contents

The Dust Bowl What are some of the dangers of living in an area covered in dust like this? Back to contents

The Dust Bowl Back to contents

The Dust Bowl Back to contents

World War II begins 1939 Back to contents