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Published byAlan Aborn Modified over 10 years ago
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“Brother can you spare a dime?”
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STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929 “Black Thursday”, October 24, 1929 “Black Tuesday”, October 29, 1929
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STRUCTURE OF AMERICAN SOCIETY DISINTEGRATES FFactories and mines close BBanks are worthless CConsumer buying comes to a standstill
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1932 – AMERICAN DREAMS ARE SHATTERED 14 million Americans are jobless (almost 1/3 the workforce) Banks foreclose on houses and farms No food, no clothes, no jobs Recycled lifestyle
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Causes of the Great Depression Buying on Credit American factories were putting out too many products When the stock market crashed and everyone lost money, no one had money to buy goods Prices fell Agricultural surpluses soared
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Stock Market problems Speculation: Too many Americans were engaged in speculation – buying stocks & bonds hoping for a quick profit Margin: Americans were buying “on margin” – paying a small percentage of a stock’s price as a down payment and borrowing the rest
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Bank Failure After the crash, many Americans panicked and withdrew their money from banks Banks had invested in the Stock Market and lost money In 1929- 600 banks fail By 1933 – 11,000 of the 25,000 banks nationwide had collapsed
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Unemployment and bankruptcy Between 1928-1932, the U.S. Gross National Product (GNP) – the total output of a nation’s goods & services – fell nearly 50% from $104 billion to $59 billion 90,000 businesses went bankrupt Unemployment leaped from 3% in 1929 to 25% in 1933
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Hoovervilles The Great Depression brought hardship, homelessness, and hunger to millions Across the country, people lost their jobs, and their homes Some built makeshifts shacks out of scrap material Before long whole shantytowns (sometimes called Hoovervilles in mock reference to the president) sprung up
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One of the common features of urban areas during the era were soup kitchens and bread lines Soup kitchens and bread lines offered free or low-cost food for people
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Dustbowl Approaching Stratford, Texas, 1934
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Dust Storm Approaching Kansas
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Aftermath of a Dust Storm
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DUST BOWL ( DUST STORMS ) OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS 1934-1935
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Black Sunday April 14, 1935 24 hours of a blinding dust storm Dreaded black-blizzard covers entire disaster area Drought adds further devastation
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THE VICTIMS OF THE DUST BOWL Colorado Kansas Oklahoma New Mexico Texas Devastation of their cropland Respiratory health issues Unsanitary living Rampant crime Debt-ridden families
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Dustbowl Affects Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado were the hardest hit regions during the Dust Bowl Many farmers migrated to California and other Pacific Coast states
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DUST BOWL ORPHANS Mass exodus to California Opportunities in Russia Migrant workers become source of cheap labor
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Great Depression The 1930s created the term “hoboes” to describe poor drifters 300,000 transients – or hoboes – hitched rides around the country on trains and slept under bridges (thousands were teenagers) Injuries and death was common on railroad property; over 50,000 people were hurt or killed
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Hoover Blamed for Depression Hoover was not quick to react to the depression He believed in “rugged individualism” – the idea that people succeed through their own efforts People should take care of themselves, not depend on governmental hand-outs He said people should “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”
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Franklin Roosevelt Elected Franklin Roosevelt ran for the residency in 1932 Hoover didn’t have a chance of winning, too many people blamed him for the depression FDR’s platform for the election was known as the THREE R’s: Relief, Recovery, Reform First Hundred Days: a whirlwind of reform was taken during this period Roosevelt’s recovery plan was named New Deal
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New Deal Short range goals: relief and immediate recovery-next two years Long range goals: permanent recovery and reform of abuses
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Bank Reform Glass Steagall Banking Reform Act- Created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Peoples deposits were insured up to $5000 Money was taken off the gold standard Gold was purchased at increased rates, getting more paper money into circulation, causing inflation and relieving some debtors problems
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Creating Jobs and Improving Economy Civilian Conservation Corps Reforestation Firefighting Flood control Swamp drainage Federal Emergency Relief Act Short term relief Agricultural Adjustment Act Money to farmers to meet their mortgages Home Owners’ Loan Corporation Refinance mortgages of nonfarm homes
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Creating Jobs and Improving Economy Federal Housing Administration Loans given to improve old houses or complete new ones Social Security Act Money that can be collected by older generation not working Passed primarily as a help to World War I Vets National Recovery Administration Hours of labor reduced allowing more people to work during the day
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