1. Americans Face Hard Times Chapter 8, Sections 2

4. Misery and Despair Grip America’s Cities ● threat of unemployment o by 1933, unemployment rates were at 24.9% (never went higher than 3.7%) ● What was life like? o 1920s: economic boom, with many people realizing they could provide for their families. o Great Depression hits - hours cut at work, eventually lose their jobs - ‘wander’ to find new work o milk and meat disappear from the table o visit soup kitchens and bread lines for food

5. Louisville, KY 1937

7. “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?”

8. “They used to tell me I was building a dream And so I followed the mob. When there was earth to plow or guns to bear, I was always there, right on the job. They used to tell me I was building a dream With peace and glory ahead -- Why should I be standing in line, Just waiting for bread? Once I built a railroad, I made it run, Made it run against time. Once I built a railroad, now it’s done -- Brother can you spare a dime?”

9. ● sense of loss and betrayal about the “American dream” ● entire families homeless and hungry ● sold anything to have food and pay rent

10. ● Hoovervilles: makeshift shantytowns (very poor area) of tents and shacks built on public land or vacant lots

11. Poverty Devastates Rural America ● Prices of food keep falling - debts keep growing for farmers o 1919, a pound of cotton was $35.34 o 1932: $6.52 ● Farmers lose their farms

12. ● Dust Bowl: region in central and southern Great Plains which suffered from drought and dust storms o “black blizzards” soared to heights of 8,000 ft. o moved as fast as 100 miles per hour, blocking out the sunlight o killed cattle and birds, covered rivers, and suffocated fish o Okies: Dust Bowl refugees

15. Hoover’s Response Fails Chapter 8, Section 3

16. Cautious Response to Depression Fails ● Hoover tried many different things to help with the Depression, but all failed o felt government should not be involved (natural occurrences and would blow over) o motivated businesses and laborers to voluntarily work to encourage production and consumption o requested that wealthier families donate more money to charities o localism: local and state levels can solve problems

17. Hoover Adopts More Activist Policies ● Reconstruction Finance Corporation: provided emergency government credit to banks, railroads, and other large businesses o trickle-down economics: money given to banks and businesses will trickle down to consumers o Hoover Dam

19. Americans Protest Hoover’s Failures ● Problems with capitalism - led to fascist leaders rising in Europe (Mussolini and Hitler) ● Bonus Army: WWI veterans that were seeking the bonus Congress promised them o the bonus was supposed to be paid out in 1945, but many veterans had no money o marched on Washington - US troops ordered to drive them out - used violence and tear gas