1. Sections Two and Three
The Great Depression

2. Native Grasses & Sod Destroyed
Land was ravaged for decades by humans
Native grasses had sheltered the soil
But Sodbusters plowed up the native grasses to grow wheat & corn
Sod was so thick & wood was so scarce in the Great Plains that early settlers built their shelters by digging into the sod.

3. Sod Shelter

4. Drought & Dust Storms
After decades of destroying the sod when the winds finally came all topsoil was removed
Imagine seeing a wall of black dust up to a 1000 ft high
Dust storms like these plagued the Great Plains between
Together with the Gt. Depression 1000s of farmers were wiped out

5. Parched Land from Drought

6. Dust Storm

7. Impact of Dust Bowl

9. Got Farm?

10. Farmers in Distress During 1920s – ’30s farm prices were falling
Falling prices kept farmers from paying their mortgages
Many lost their farms to foreclosure
Penny Auctions took place in which friends bought the farm for a penny and then returned it to their friends

12. Tough Times

13. The Okies
Okies were farmers who lost everything and abandoned their fields in search of new opportunities
Many came to CA where they worked for almost nothing
Not welcome by most, harassed by law enforcement, sometimes turned away at the border.

14. Okies Move West

16. Tenant Farmers Hit Hard
As fed’l gov paid subsidies to landowners not to grow products so prices would rise
So landowners evicted tenant farmers off the land
Subsidies given to landowners were then used to buy new technology which further reduced the need for farm hands or tenant farmers
AA tenant farmers were hit disproportionately hard

17. Tenant Farmers on the move

18. Mexican-Americans Faced discrimination
12,000 rounded up and deported to Mexico between
Even Mex-Americans faced discrimination
Many asked to be repatriated to Mexico
In Texas, 60% of all people of Mex descent returned to Mex by Jan 31

19. In the City By 1933 ¼ of all people were unemployed
AA lost their jobs first, followed by other minorities, then full time employees were asked to share their jobs with others
People lost their homes, possessions
Hoovervilles – temporary shelters
Bread lines, soup kitchens
Loss of hope

21. Hooverville, USA

22. In the Family
Men lost status and self-esteem due to inability to support the family
Women economized to keep families from starving & often took up home crafts
Women faced discrimination in professional jobs but kept the traditional female occupations such as clerical jobs
Hoboes – in search of jobs across the country & ashamed to return home many deserted their families

24. Growing up in the ’30s
Psychological and spiritual depression as well as economic
People avoided socializing because ashamed of torn clothes
Young people put off getting married
Married couples put off having children
Undernourishment
Lack of hope & faith led to deep despair
Left invisible scar

25. Car Craze Continues Cars were status symbols
Car shows continued to draw 1000s
Tourism increased during the ’30s
Auto industry continued to grow

26. Electricity Transforms the Home
The appliance revolution begun in the ’20s continued thru the ’30s.
Made possible by gov programs that brought electricity to all regions
Household chores became easier

27. Escape through Entertainment
Double feature matinee
Talkies
Easy escape
Ornate theatres
Color film
Gone With the Wind allowed people to escape
60-90 m people went to moves during average week in the ’30s

28. Golden Age of Radio
Radio was a piece of furniture which served as the visual focus & entertainment center in the home
10 m radios in 1929; 30 m by 1939
Mass media featured soap operas, quiz shows, children’s programming such as Superman, Lone Ranger
Evenings featured comedy and variety shows or dramatic presentations

29. First National Form of Entertainment

30. Literature & the Arts
Literature such as the Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Art - American Gothic – Grant Wood
Documentary photography
All these artistic forms sought to portray the Gr Depression as it really was.

31. American Gothic – Grant Wood

32. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck

34. ADD – ML Section 2 Urban & rural impact Dust bowl
Hoboes & their symbols (p. 475)
No federal system of direct relief
Resentment against employed women
Children – Hoover tourists, malnutrition, schools closed
Approx 25,000 trespassers killed

35. Add ML Social & Psychological impact
Suicides
Mental Asylums
People couldn’t afford medical care
Delayed marriage
Stigma of poverty

36. The End