1. Empty Promises Herbert Hoover ran for president on a platform of continued prosperity. He promised Americans a “chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.”

2. Empty Promises However, Hoover did not anticipate the Great Depression or its effects on American life.

3. Effects of the Great Depression Life in the United States

4. Effects of the Great Depression 1. Farmers lost their farms through foreclosure and bankruptcy. a) Many farmers became migrant workers, moving from place to place in search of work.

5. To make matters worse… b) The Dust Bowl- A series of droughts caused crops to dry up and the soil turned to dust. Over one million farmers from the Great Plains were driven from their lands by this “Dust Bowl.”

6. Effects of the Great Depression 2. Unemployment- By 1933, 25% of workers lost their jobs and were out of work.

7. Effects of the Great Depression 3. Banks Failed- From 1929-1932 over 5,000 banks closed their doors. (1/4 of all banks in the U.S.)

10. Effects of the Great Depression 4. Businesses shut their doors due to the lack of consumer spending.

11. 5. The Human Cost: Poverty, homelessness, and starvation increased dramatically. Many children were forced to look for work & malnutrition increased. Schools closed due to lack of money.

12. WITHIN EIGHT MONTHS OF TAKING OFFICE HOOVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THE GREATEST ECONOMIC DECLINE IN U.S. HISTORY. HE WAS NOT PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THE SUFFERING THE GREAT DEPRESSION BROUGHT TO AMERICANS. FOR FOUR YEARS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF HOOVER, MADE ONLY MINIMAL ATTEMPTS TO END THE ECONOMIC CRISIS. “ECONOMIC DEPRESSION CANNOT BE CURED BY LEGISLATIVE ACTION OR EXECUTIVE PRONOUNCEMENT. ECONOMIC WOUNDS MUST BE HEALED BY THE ACTION OF THE CELLS OF THE ECONOMIC BODY - THE PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS THEMSELVES” HERBERT HOOVER

13. Hoover’s Response to the Great Depression At this time in history unemployment insurance and welfare did NOT exist. President Herbert Hoover Suggested: 1.“Rugged Individualism”- individuals and local governments should care for the children, the sick, the elderly, and the disabled. 2.Not directly aiding the poor. He said “handouts,” would weaken their self respect. 3.Construction of the Hoover Dam, in Nevada, which employed thousands. Still, this did not adequately address the problems of the Great Depression.

14. As a result… Makeshift towns sprung up across the U.S., which Americans called “Hoovervilles.”“Hoovervilles.” –These Hoovervilles were no more than a collection of shacks, filled with the homeless. People also spoke of “Hoover blankets,” “Hoover stew,” and “Hoover leather.”

15. Conditions Worsened When… In 1932, 20,000 jobless veterans marched on Washington D.C. to ask for an early payment of their bonus. The bonus, a reward for their service, was only due to be paid in 1945, but the suffering veterans needed it then.

16. Conditions Worsened When… Although the senate refused payment, this “Bonus Army” camped out in Washington, D.C. The police and the U.S. military, under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, were sent to disperse the Bonus Army. Veterans were gassed, their camps burned and four were killed.

17. Conclusion After the Bonus Army incident Herbert Hoover lost what little support he had left, and Americans looked to a new leader. For many who lived through the Great Depression the stigma of poverty never completely disappeared. What effects did the Great Depression have on American life?