20 th Century Texas Unit Survey Modern Era (1900s) – World War II (1940s)

Texas Highway Department 1922 – more than one million cars and trucks were registered in Texas, ending the horse and buggy era. Traffic laws were passed and police enforced them. Texas created the Texas Highway Department and became eligible for federal funds to build new roads.

Great Depression Begins In 1929, early in Republican Herbert Hoover’s presidency, the U. S. stock market collapsed. Many investors, hoping to make quick fortunes, drove up the price of stock. Some investors borrowed money heavily to buy stocks, and when stock prices fell, those investors and the banks that loaned them money were wiped out.

Stock Market Crash of 1929 Stock shares represent ownership in companies. People had driven up the price of stocks, and some investors borrowed money to buy them. When prices fell, both they and the banks were wiped out.

Cause & Effect Stock Market Crash Inflated Stock Prices Borrowing Partial Payments for Stocks

Bad News Continues… Factories closed Widespread unemployment – loss of jobs Texas farmers’ income suffered – Prices of agriculture products dropped East Texas timber workers were laid off – people could not afford new houses

Depth of Depression President Hoover greatly underestimated the severity, or depth, of the Great Depression. –Called on local churches and charities to increase aid to the poor –Asked people to hire unemployed neighbors to do odd jobs

Too Much Oil Late 1920s - East Texas oil fields produced more oil than the rest of the state of Texas combined. Overproduction caused oil prices to drastically drop. April Texas Railroad Commission issued an order for operators to limit production and by 1935, oil prices stabilized.

Cotton Crisis for Farmers 1930s - Cotton prices dropped and the Great Depression forced the prices even lower. The Texas Department of Agriculture urged farmers to reduce the number of acres planted in cotton.

The Dust Bowl in Texas After World War I, when wheat prices were high, farmers tried to earn more money by planting more crops. But, during the 1920s, wheat prices dropped drastically from overproduction. Farmers plowed under the grasses of the plains to plant crops, but there was nothing to hold down the soil from strong winds.

The Dust Bowl in Texas 1930s - A severe drought added to the problem as dust storms made the area into a Dust Bowl; it lasted 7 years. People became ill from lung diseases and many families lost their farms because of hard times. The Dust Bowl covered a five-state area: Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.

Phoenix 2011

Phoenix 2012

A New Deal for Texas Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidential election, with almost 90 percent of Texans supporting him. After taking office in March 1933, he started reform programs called the “New Deal.” John N. Garner, former Texas Congressman and then the U.S. Vice President, helped push New Deal programs in Congress.

FDR and John Garner

New Deal Programs in Texas New agencies to deal with problems of the Depression were known as alphabet agencies because people called them by their initials. Agencies included: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), National Youth Administration (NYA), Public Works Administration (PWA).

Alphabet Agencies FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) – gave funds to states and local agencies for unemployed people CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) – provided outdoor employment for young men and helped preserve resources NYA (National Youth Administration) – hired high school and college students to perform clerical and maintenance jobs. PWA (Public Works Administration) – built bridges dams, schools, and other structures of value to the state. WPA (Works Progress Administration) – hired 600,000 Texans during the Great Depression

New Deal for Rural Texans New Deal programs tried to slow down soil erosion to help farmers in the Dust Bowl regions. New planting and contour plowing techniques helped farmers protect the topsoil from blowing away. The federal government paid farmers to plant trees as windbreaks, and by 1938, sand dunes around Dalhart were gone.

Mexican Americans Fight for their Rights The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is founded in Corpus Christi. They worked for Mexican American rights in courts, hiring, and education. They fought against school segregation of Mexican American children.