1. How did people struggle to survive?

2.  As you read through the presentation, complete the following chart in your notes for the five groups affected by the Great Depression.  Leave space at the bottom to write down key vocabulary terms (there are four). GroupEffects of the Depression

3.  Important Vocabulary: Shantytown: Little towns consisting largely of shacks on the outskirts of cities.  Many people were evicted from their homes and ended up living in the streets.  Soup kitchens and bread lines opened in many cities to feed the homeless (charity).

4.  The Depression years saw an increase in racial violence against African Americans by unemployed whites competing for jobs.  Angry unemployed whites demanded that Latinos be deported, even though many were native-born Americans.  By the end of the depression, hundreds of thousands of people of Mexican decent returned to Mexico. Many were deported by the government.

5.  Important Vocabulary: Desertification: A process by which land becomes increasingly dry and desert- like.  Between 1929 and 1932, around 400,000 farms were lost through foreclosure (falling crop prices).  Overproduction of crops helped lead to the Dust Bowl in the Midwest. California population grows by more than 1 million during the 1930’s.

6.  Important Vocabulary: Direct Relief: Cash payments or food provided by the government to the poor.  Coping with unemployment was difficult for many men because they were accustomed to supporting their families.  Around 2 million men wander the U.S. during the Great Depression looking for work. Many abandoned their families after giving up.

7.  Women worked hard to help their families survive in the face of adversity.  Working women became the targets of enormous resentment. Some believed they had no right to work when men were unemployed.  Many children faced serious health problems, including malnutrition and diet-related diseases.  Children often returned to working in sweatshops and factories.