Far Reaching Effects Great Depression affected people at all social levels

Hoovervilles Homeless people often built small towns of cardboard or scrap metal shacks Areas were called “Hoovervilles” in mockery of President Herbert Hoover

The Dust Bowl Between 1931 and 1940 a combination of poor farming techniques, drought and storms led mass farming destruction throughout the Great Plains – Wind blew away topsoil depositing it as far away as NYC, D.C. and the Atlantic Ocean Caused 60% of farmers in the Great Plains to lose their farms – Resulted in a massive wage of migrant farmers known as “okies”

Impact of Depression on Health Men – Ashamed of lack of job – Many committed suicide Women – Often fired or refused work if their husband had a job All faced severe stress and many depression as a result of – No work – Rummaging for food in trashcans

Increase in Discrimination As whites and African Americans competed for jobs discrimination increased – Government programs often supported this Scottsboro Boys – 9 black teenagers who had been “riding the rails” looking for work were arrested and accused of raping two women on the train Not given a chance to hire a lawyers Sentenced to death by an all white jury Eventually all are pardoned by the late 1970s