The Great Depression and World War II Essential Question How did the people of Washington respond to the economic, social, and political challenges of the Great Depression and World War II?

From Boom to Bust The 1920s was a time of prosperity (wealth) and change. Herbert Hoover was elected president and announced the future was bright with hope. But this all changed on October 29, 1929. This was the largest selling day in the history of the New York Stock Exchange. Many people were selling their stocks and few were buying. Suddenly the price of stocks dropped and many people lost everything they had overnight. This began a time period in history known as the Great Depression. During this time, banks lost peoples’ money, many factories closed, and thousands of people lost their jobs. Many people went hungry during the Great Depression and began living in the streets.

The Dust Bowl Stretches Westward In 1928, one of the most severe droughts in our nation’s history came to the Great Plains states. This turned forests into a fire waiting to happen. In 1936, the Forest Service reported 450,000 acres of national forest in the Northwest had been destroyed by fire. Many farmers suffered during this time because they couldn’t get a good price for their crops. These crops began to rot. Many farmers and family fled the Great Plains states. They migrated west in search of work and a better life.

Voters Blame Hoover The Great Depression was the worst and longest economic downturn in the nation’s history. Many people blamed President Herbert Hoover. No one was helping the many people suffering. When it was time to elect a president, Americans rejected Hoover and elected Frankin D. Roosevelt.

A New President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a “New Deal” for the American people. FDR’s New Deal created jobs that put people back to work. The programs were identified by their abbreviations and referred to as “alphabet soup.” Although the Pacific Northwest had a very small population and lots of natural resources, it needed federal help, too.

The Grand Coulee Dam The biggest New Deal project in Washington was the Grand Coulee Dam. A severe drought and high unemployment during the Great Depression prompted FDR to approve the project. More than 12,000 workers were hired to help build the dam. The dam is one of the largest concrete structures in the world. Even though the dam created thousands of jobs for the unemployed, it forced thousands of people from their homes to make way for the dam.

Victory for Labor The New Deal created many jobs, but many workers still suffered. Wages were low, hours were long, and the conditions were dangerous. Much-needed labor reforms came with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act. The new law protected workers who joined unions and organized strikes. The new law boosted union membership but also fueled union rivalries.

Native Americans Get a New Deal In 1887, the Dawes Act was passed to help Americanize Indians. FDR’s Indian Reorganization Act repealed the Dawes Act and encouraged tribal culture and tribal government. Because many Washington Indians had married outside of their tribes and worked outside of the reservation, they did not immediately benefit from the Indian Reorganization Act.

The Worst Was Over By 1939, the worst of the Great Depression was over. Businesses started to open and many people were able to work again. People were able to purchase goods and could afford food for their families. World War II began and the war ended what was left of the Great Depression.

Another World War In Germany, a man named Adolf Hitler was determined to conquer Europe. Hitler wanted to rid Germany of people he considered inferior, especially Jewish people. Hitler ordered millions of Jews and others to concentration camps where many were put to death. This mass murder was called the Holocaust. World War II began when Hitler’s army invaded Poland. Italy and Japan joined Germany. They were called the Axis Powers. The Axis Powers fought against the Allies—England, France, and the Soviet Union. The United States joined the Allies when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Wartime Economic Boom The war brought economic prosperity to the United States. There were war-related jobs for everyone. Aluminum production became the state’s great new war industry. The Kaiser Shipbuilding Company supplied the U.S. military with aircraft carriers. Washington’s Boeing plants built thousands of bombers used in the air war against Germany and Japan.

Building the Atom Bomb The United States began the secret Manhattan Project to develop the atom bomb before the Germans could do it. Hanford, Washington, was the site of one of the secret project’s research facilities. Most of the workers in Hanford didn’t know what they were building. The world discovered the secrets of Hanford when America dropped the atomic bombs on Japan to end the war.

Relocation of Japanese-Americans Pearl Harbor’s attack was such a surprise that many people thought Japanese-Americans might be helping Japan. The government ordered all persons of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast to relocate to special camps. Many Japanese-Americans lost their homes and businesses as a result. They spent the war surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Gordon Hirabayashi was one of the few Japanese-Americans to challenge relocation. Congress issued a formal apology to Japanese-Americans in 1988.

The War Ends President Roosevelt died suddenly in April 1945 from a stroke. Less than a month later, Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe, but war in the Pacific was still raging. The new president, Harry S. Truman, weighed his options for ending the war with Japan. Truman decided to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb killed thousands and flattened the city. When Japan refused to surrender, Truman decided to drop a second bomb. The second bomb devastated the city of Nagasaki. Japan had no choice but to surrender. The war was finally over.

War Brings Social Change The war transformed Seattle into an industrial center and brought a lot of new people to the state, including African Americans and Mexicans. Many white people resented the invasion of newcomers. The Bracero Program allowed Mexican men to work in the United States during the war as temporary farm laborers. The role of women changed forever as a result of both world wars. Women took over at home and in the workplace. They helped in all branches of the military. Some even worked as spies! The number of women in the labor force grew 110 percent during the war years. After the war, a woman’s place was no longer just in the home. Women began to challenge their traditional roles.