Warm Up Using art to describe era of time: List the characteristics of “The Great Depression” based on the selected pieces of art. Use these questions to help you analyze each piece: What do you see? What emotions can you see in the art piece? How do you think it related to the people who saw it?

Departure of the Joads, from The Grapes of Wrath, Thomas Hart Benton, 1939

"The New Deal,“ by Conrad A. Albrizio, 1934

“Migrant Mother”, Photograph taken by Dorothea Lange, 1936

Unit 6: The Great Depression The Dust Bowl and New Leadership

What is the Dust Bowl? a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the US. *** Not in your notes just an FYI***

Causes of the Dust Bowl: Human factors – many farmers had misused the land (over planting, not rotating crops) These bad practices started in the 1920’s after WWI. Farmers wanted to increase production of wheat so they can counter the falling prices of crops. They plowed millions of acres of land in the Great Plains which ruined the soil of the land.

Physical factors – years of sustained drought caused the land to dry up; great clouds of dust and sand were carried by the wind (where the name “Dust Bowl” came from)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_LZpKSqhPQ&list=PLF211AA273F925771

Discussion Question #1 What were the causes of the Dust Bowl? What states were affected by the Dust Bowl? Do you think this could happen again?

Effects of the Dust Bowl Millions of acres of farmland became useless Farmers cannot make any money so they lose their farms. The elderly and children got sick from the dust (Dust Pneumonia) and in a lot of cases would die. Locusts and rabbits invaded the land and ate whatever vegetation was left over.

Discussion Question #2 How bad would a situation get for you to take your entire family and anything and everything you could carry and move away from your home? Think and share with your shoulder partner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lV6CEI99UI (1:16)

Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes. They went from farmers to migrant workers. These new migrant workers made their way to California and were looked down on. They were called Okies (People from Oklahoma) even though most of them were not from Oklahoma.

New Leadership in Government Franklin Delano Roosevelt – (FDR) Wins the Presidential election of 1932. He was a Democrat.   Congress - In the Senate the Democrats won nearly 2/3’s majority and in the House they won almost ¾’s of the seats.

Eleanor Roosevelt – traveled the country to help keep the President informed of social conditions and to remind the President of the suffering going on around the country. She also encouraged him to appoint women to government positions and helped open doors for African Americans in politics.

New Economic Plan New Deal – Roosevelt’s plan to give relief from the depression. Expanded the role of government in the economy focused on relief for the needy economic recovery financial reform

The New Deal Relief Reform Recovery The Great Depression

Discussion Question #3 Explain the New Deal and what are the three things the New Deal focused on with your partner. Or draw a picture explaining it…..cant be exactly like mine….

Renewing Faith in the Banks Fireside chats – Roosevelt would talk on the radio about issues of public concerns. He would put things in real simple terms so the average person could understand. These talks helped the people to feel like they were talking directly to the President. The President explained to the public that when too many people demanded their savings in cash, that banks would fail. Over the next few weeks many Americans returned their savings to the bank.

Discussion Question #4 Can you compare FDR’s fireside chats with popular movies or music of the Great Depression? Are they similar or different? How so?

Roosevelt’s First Hundred Days – a period of intense activity in which congress passed 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation.

Banking Reform and Finance Bank holiday – Roosevelt closed all banks to prevent anymore withdraws

Emergency Banking Relief Act – authorized the treasury department to inspect banks Banks that were solid could reopen Banks that were unstable would remain closed Those that needed help could receive loans

Discussion Question #5 How did FDR get the support of the common man in the 1930’s?