Unit VIII – Boom Times and Challenges Chapter 25 – The Great Depression Section 3 – Americans Face Hard Times

Americans Face Hard Times The Big Idea All over the country, Americans struggled to survive the Great Depression. Main Ideas Parts of the Great Plains came to be known as the Dust Bowl as severe drought destroyed farms there. Families all over the United States faced hard times. Depression-era culture helped lift people’s spirits. The New Deal had lasting effects on American society.

Dust Bowl Main Idea 1: Parts of the Great Plains came to be known as the Dust Bowl as severe drought destroyed farms there. Hard times for farmers began in the 1920s because prices for farm products remained low. Severe drought hit the Great Plains in the early 1930s.  Lasted most of the decade  Crops withered away  Massive dust storms swept the region, turning the region into a Dust Bowl.

Effects of the Dust Bowl Farmers could not raise crops.  Could not pay mortgages  Many lost their farms. Government tried to assist.  New Deal programs offered price stabilization and loans to farmers.  Scientific advances in soil conservation and farming methods  Too little, too late People began leaving the region  2.5 million left the area

Devastation of the Dust Bowl Great Plains Drought Great Plains Drought rain stopped falling across much of the Great Plains region. Dust storms Dust storms  brought on by years of careless agriculture practices.  No Protective grass left, no vegetation.  Wind storms stripped away topsoil and blew it for hundreds of miles. Even to the Atlantic Coast.  Drifts, dust mounds choked crops, buried farms and blew into homes..  Hardest hit areas of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas eventually became known as the Dust Bowl  Dust Bowl-  Dust Bowl- lasted for several years

Devastation of the Dust Bowl 1:02 min.

Devastation of the Dust Bowl Migration Migration  Fleeing the Plains- “Okies” People quit, packed up and moved. People quit, packed up and moved. End of 1930’s- 2.5 million left. End of 1930’s- 2.5 million left. Headed west on Route 66 to California and migrant farm camps. Headed west on Route 66 to California and migrant farm camps. Met by resistance and discrimination. Met by resistance and discrimination. Grapes of Wrath- book by John Steinbeck- dust bowl and disaster Grapes of Wrath- book by John Steinbeck- dust bowl and disaster Hardship Songs by Woody Guthrie Hardship Songs by Woody Guthrie The droughts and dust storms left many in the Dust Bowl with no way to make a living, and some simply picked up and moved: For much of the decade, the Depression defied most government efforts to defeat it, and Americans had to fend for themselves.

Migration from the Dust Bowl 4:17 min.

Migration the Dust Bowl 2:50 min.

The Dust Bowl Why was the Dust Bowl so devastating? Recall- What would happen if a farmer could not make his mortgage payments? Make Inferences – What could you infer about the condition of farm soil after the drought?

Life in the 30's (05:26)

Main Idea 2: Families all over the United States faced hard times. American families faced hard times.  Many forced to split up.  Some roamed the country trying to find work.  Children often had to drop out of school and take low-paying jobs or leave home and fend for themselves.

Homeless People on the Road

Eating in a Breadline

Life in the Depression

Minority Groups and the Depression Mexican-Americans As white families moved west, it became harder for Mexican Americans to find work. In California, local leaders and unions convinced government to deport many Mexican-born workers and their children, many of whom were U.S. citizens. African Americans Faced discrimination  Many lost jobs to unemployed white workers. Many able to find work through relief programs. African American leaders acted as advisors to Roosevelt.  Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator appointed to Roosevelt’s cabinet.  African Americans appointed to Roosevelt’s cabinet were known as the Black Cabinet.

New Roles for Women Women Roosevelt promoted and recognized women. Frances Perkins – Secretary of Labor – was the first woman to head an executive office. Ruth Bryan Owen served as minister to Denmark. Roosevelt appointed women to such posts as director of the U.S. Mint and assistant secretary of the Treasury. Women served as leaders in several New Deal agencies. Still, women faced challenges and discrimination.  Lower wages  Less opportunities  Hostility in the workplace

Hard Times Recall- Why did some people leave home during the Depression? Elaborate – How do you think children who dropped out of school or left their families must have felt?

Hard Times Recall- In California, who convinced the government to deport Mexican-born workers? Describe – Explain the Roosevelts’ attitude toward African Americans?

Main Idea 3: Depression-era culture helped lift people’s spirits. Works Progress Administration– put artists to work and helped to create a record of life during the Depression Writers like John Steinbeck explored the theme of Depression life in his writings. Some musicians, like folk singer Woody Guthrie, expressed themes of loss and struggle, reflecting the American Depression experience. Swing music helped people forget their troubles and lifted spirits. WPA Literature Music Radio Movies offered Americans another way to escape from reality. Radios provided inexpensive entertainment with music and popular radio shows. Film

Art of the Great Depression Painters and sculptors fashioned works depicting the struggles of the working class. Authors and playwrights focused on the plight of the rural and urban poor.  Writer John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath  Songwriter Woody Guthrie celebrated the lives of ordinary people.  Writer James Agee’s Let Us Now Praise Famous Men Photographers  Dorothea Lange recorded images of jobless people and the rural poor.  Walker Evans depicted the lives of sharecroppers in the Lower South.

Movies Millions of Americans went to the movies each week. Most films were upbeat and allowed viewers to “escape” the depression. Grand musicals and comedies were popular. Animation and color photography delighted audiences. Radio Provided politics, religion, music, sports, and other forms of entertainment Introduced new music styles such as jazz and swing Action shows such as The Lone Ranger and comedies such as Fibber McGee and Molly were popular. Popular Entertainment of the Great Depression Sports Interest in sports remained strong in the 1930s. Baseball was popular. Babe Ruth Joe DiMaggio Boxing was hugely popular. Joe Lewis

Entertainment (02:27)

Dorothea Lange Dorothea Lange was a celebrated chronicler of the Great Depression. She recorded images of jobless people in her hometown of San Francisco. Lange worked for the Farm Security Administration. She was hired to document the plight of the poor and, through her images, gain public support for New Deal programs. Lange’s photographs of the rural poor helped raise awareness about the poorest of the poor – sharecroppers and tenant farmers. In 1937 the federal government finally began to provide help to sharecroppers and tenant farmers.

Lifestyles (01:49)

Sports & Games (03:15)

Depression-Era Culture Recall- Why sort of workers did the WPA hire? Summarize – In what way did the WPA preserve American culture? Rate – What is your opinion about using public money for art?

The New Deal has had long-reaching effects: Gave Americans help and hope in a time of severe crisis Expanded the role of federal government Some agencies and programs still exist today and remain an important part of American society. – Social Security still provides economic relief to the elderly, children, and those with disabilities. – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation protects the savings of bank customers. Main Idea 4: The New Deal had lasting effects on American society.

Effects of the New Deal Recall- When did America finally fully recover from the Great Depression? Make Generalizations – What was offered by the New Deal Programs? Evaluate – What is your opinion about the federal programs from the 1930’s that still exist today?