Great Depression in Rural America vs. Urban America September 15, 2009

Great Depression affected EVERYONE!!!  Teens leave home  25%  Jump freight trains  People have job one day  No job the next (constant fear)  Lose homes  Unemployment rate  : avg. 3.7%  1933: 25%  Wages or hours cut  Paychecks 30% lower  Teens leave home  25%  Jump freight trains  People have job one day  No job the next (constant fear)  Lose homes  Unemployment rate  : avg. 3.7%  1933: 25%  Wages or hours cut  Paychecks 30% lower

 Cook smaller meals at home  Water replaces milk  No meat  Bread lines  People feel betrayed  Soldiers/ laborers  “What happened to wealth I created?”  Cook smaller meals at home  Water replaces milk  No meat  Bread lines  People feel betrayed  Soldiers/ laborers  “What happened to wealth I created?”

 Men feel they betrayed families  Breadwinners  Did EVERYTHING  Now…reduced status  Some men deserted families  Constant fear of losing job  Guilt (friends/ family lost their job)  Birthrates DOWN (lowest in U.S. history)  Both parents busy working  Discipline DOWN  Children QUIT school  Runaway  Men feel they betrayed families  Breadwinners  Did EVERYTHING  Now…reduced status  Some men deserted families  Constant fear of losing job  Guilt (friends/ family lost their job)  Birthrates DOWN (lowest in U.S. history)  Both parents busy working  Discipline DOWN  Children QUIT school  Runaway

Minorities  Great Depression hit EVERYONE  But NOT equally  African Americans  LAST to be hired; FIRST to be fired  Unemployment rate: 50%  “Born into depression…”  Mexican Americans  Competition for jobs  Discrimination  Repatriation: encourage Mexican Americans to go back to Mexico with children (citizens)  Great Depression hit EVERYONE  But NOT equally  African Americans  LAST to be hired; FIRST to be fired  Unemployment rate: 50%  “Born into depression…”  Mexican Americans  Competition for jobs  Discrimination  Repatriation: encourage Mexican Americans to go back to Mexico with children (citizens)

In the cities…  LOSE HOMES  Sold furniture, jewelry, moved to cheaper homes  Evicted  Live on streets  Sleep on park benches, empty railroad cars, cardboard boxes  Hoovervilles  Makshift towns of tents & shacks built on public land/ vacant lots  Largest: NYC (Central Park)  LOSE HOMES  Sold furniture, jewelry, moved to cheaper homes  Evicted  Live on streets  Sleep on park benches, empty railroad cars, cardboard boxes  Hoovervilles  Makshift towns of tents & shacks built on public land/ vacant lots  Largest: NYC (Central Park)

In the country…  Farmers suffering even before Depression (WWI) 1. Crop prices DOWN  Farmers make NO money  Great Plains  Massive drought lasted years  Wheat  $2.16 (1919) - 38 cents (1932)  Income NOT enough to keep farms  Can’t pay debt; buy seed; repair equipment; etc. RESULT: Farmers lose farms  1 million farms lost ( )  Farmers suffering even before Depression (WWI) 1. Crop prices DOWN  Farmers make NO money  Great Plains  Massive drought lasted years  Wheat  $2.16 (1919) - 38 cents (1932)  Income NOT enough to keep farms  Can’t pay debt; buy seed; repair equipment; etc. RESULT: Farmers lose farms  1 million farms lost ( )

2.Drought No dams/ irrigation 3.Dust Bowl “Black Blizzards” 8,000 feet high (like waves) 100 miles per hour Daylight to NIGHT Temporarily Choked/ blinded people Cattle/ birds/ rabbits/ fish die Dirt seeped through cracks of home Destroy crops Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma Also, New York & Boston 2 TIMES dirt dug out from Panama Canal 2.Drought No dams/ irrigation 3.Dust Bowl “Black Blizzards” 8,000 feet high (like waves) 100 miles per hour Daylight to NIGHT Temporarily Choked/ blinded people Cattle/ birds/ rabbits/ fish die Dirt seeped through cracks of home Destroy crops Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma Also, New York & Boston 2 TIMES dirt dug out from Panama Canal

Migration…  People move because of dust bowl/ poverty/ lose homes  Okies: Dust Bowl refugees  Move to cities  Population of cities INCREASE  Decrease in rural areas  People move because of dust bowl/ poverty/ lose homes  Okies: Dust Bowl refugees  Move to cities  Population of cities INCREASE  Decrease in rural areas

Great Depression: Government Response

 Unemployment  Homeless  Dust Storms  No crops  Hoover did NOT cause Great Depression  BUT Americans wanted him to solve it  HOOVER  Smart/ business savvy  Worked long hours to solve problem  Still FAILED  Unemployment  Homeless  Dust Storms  No crops  Hoover did NOT cause Great Depression  BUT Americans wanted him to solve it  HOOVER  Smart/ business savvy  Worked long hours to solve problem  Still FAILED HOOVER FAILS TO RESPOND

 Start of Great Depression  “Hands Off” policy in gov’t  Natural to have UPS and DOWNS  Gov’t stay out of business  Strong businesses will survive  Soon realized…doing NOTHING is not a good policy 1.Asked businesses to keep employment, wages, & prices the SAME 2.Asked gov’t to reduce taxes, lower interest rates, & create public works programs 3.Suggest wealthy give more $$$ to charities ***ALL Americans work together to combat Depression***  Start of Great Depression  “Hands Off” policy in gov’t  Natural to have UPS and DOWNS  Gov’t stay out of business  Strong businesses will survive  Soon realized…doing NOTHING is not a good policy 1.Asked businesses to keep employment, wages, & prices the SAME 2.Asked gov’t to reduce taxes, lower interest rates, & create public works programs 3.Suggest wealthy give more $$$ to charities ***ALL Americans work together to combat Depression***

 PHILOSOPHY: more $$$ to businesses & people to buy more  INCREASE production  HIRE more  Good Plan  PROBLEM: too much VOLUNTEERISM  President thought he could encourage (not legislate)  DOES NOT WORK  PHILOSOPHY: more $$$ to businesses & people to buy more  INCREASE production  HIRE more  Good Plan  PROBLEM: too much VOLUNTEERISM  President thought he could encourage (not legislate)  DOES NOT WORK

 Hoover relied on localism  Problems solved at local & state level  PROBLEM: state/ local levels don’t have resources to solve problems  Hoover against public assistance  Better selves through own efforts  NEED: Federal Action!!!  Americans blame Hoover  HOOVER creates Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)…think BAILOUT  Give billions in loans to railroads & large business  $$$ to banks (give loans to people) $$$…Bankers…Businesses…Hire Workers…Increase Production…Depression End Trickle Down Economics: pour at top & trickle down to rest  Hoover relied on localism  Problems solved at local & state level  PROBLEM: state/ local levels don’t have resources to solve problems  Hoover against public assistance  Better selves through own efforts  NEED: Federal Action!!!  Americans blame Hoover  HOOVER creates Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)…think BAILOUT  Give billions in loans to railroads & large business  $$$ to banks (give loans to people) $$$…Bankers…Businesses…Hire Workers…Increase Production…Depression End Trickle Down Economics: pour at top & trickle down to rest

DID NOT WORK!!!  Banks didn’t increase loans to businesses  Businesses don’t hire more workers  1 GOOD THING during presidency  HOOVER DAM  Increased employment in Southeast  Irrigation system  Banks didn’t increase loans to businesses  Businesses don’t hire more workers  1 GOOD THING during presidency  HOOVER DAM  Increased employment in Southeast  Irrigation system

Americans Protest  Hoover worked hard  But symbol of FAILURE  Many think Socialism/ Communism  Soviet Union (more gov’t control)  Bonus Army  Congress promised bonuses to WWI vets  Supposed to get them in 1945  Vets want $$$ NOW  Hoover vetoes: Vets don’t need  Army marches to Washington, D.C.  MacArthur, Eisenhower, & Patton (Generals) force out  Use tear gas & bayonets (shock nation)  Hoover ruined chance of reelection  AMERICANS NEED CHANGE  Hoover worked hard  But symbol of FAILURE  Many think Socialism/ Communism  Soviet Union (more gov’t control)  Bonus Army  Congress promised bonuses to WWI vets  Supposed to get them in 1945  Vets want $$$ NOW  Hoover vetoes: Vets don’t need  Army marches to Washington, D.C.  MacArthur, Eisenhower, & Patton (Generals) force out  Use tear gas & bayonets (shock nation)  Hoover ruined chance of reelection  AMERICANS NEED CHANGE

Great Depression/ Sub Activity Worksheet

to million 3.60% 4.9 million 5.40% 6.9% to 25% 7.86, , % 11.$ $ to million 3.60% 4.9 million 5.40% 6.9% to 25% 7.86, , % 11.$ $273

13.1/3 14.$2 billion 15.October 24, Black Tuesday 17.$16 million 18.Stand by while markets works self out % to 8.7% June 17, Largest peacetime tax increase in U.S. history 13.1/3 14.$2 billion 15.October 24, Black Tuesday 17.$16 million 18.Stand by while markets works self out % to 8.7% June 17, Largest peacetime tax increase in U.S. history

% 25.80% 26.10, $2 billion million 29.$16.2 billion to $300, % 31.25% to 63% 32.Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) 33.Democrats 34.Aid poor in getting $$$ % 25.80% 26.10, $2 billion million 29.$16.2 billion to $300, % 31.25% to 63% 32.Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) 33.Democrats 34.Aid poor in getting $$$

35.Overthrow FDR 36.Public works Admin./ Agricultural Adjustment Admin./ Federal Emergency Relief Admin./ Farm Credit Admin./ National Recovery Admin./ Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 37.Hitler named Chancellor of Germany 38.Regulate milk prices % to 2.1% % to 24.9% 41.Sweden 35.Overthrow FDR 36.Public works Admin./ Agricultural Adjustment Admin./ Federal Emergency Relief Admin./ Farm Credit Admin./ National Recovery Admin./ Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 37.Hitler named Chancellor of Germany 38.Regulate milk prices % to 2.1% % to 24.9% 41.Sweden

42.1.4% % 44.Social Security Act passed % % 47.Heavy spending in preparation for war 48.Heavy gov’t spending/ unbalance budget - cuts budget/ recession 49.5% % % - Increased to 19% 52.Great Britain % % 44.Social Security Act passed % % 47.Heavy spending in preparation for war 48.Heavy gov’t spending/ unbalance budget - cuts budget/ recession 49.5% % % - Increased to 19% 52.Great Britain

53.Fair Labor Standards Act (minimum wage) % - 2.8% 55.Build armed forces prepare for war Fair Labor Standards Act (minimum wage) % - 2.8% 55.Build armed forces prepare for war