1. G RAPES OF W RATH B ACKGROUND N OTES English 6C March 20, 2009

2. S TEINBECK AND G RAPES OF W RATH

3. A.J OHN S TEINBECK C HILDHOOD AND E DUCATION 1. Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902 2. As a teenager, he would work as a farm hand on local ranches - this gave him knowledge of ranch life he used in novels such as Of Mice and Men 3. Steinbeck attended Stanford University as an English major in 1919 4. He left in 1925 without graduating to go to New York to pursue his writing 5. Steinbeck’s first novel, Cup of Gold, was published in 1929 received little attention

4. B. J OHN S TEINBECK W RITING AND L ATER L IFE 6. Steinbeck’s first literary success was with his novel Tortilla Flat in 1935 7. Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939 and won the Pulitzer Prize 8. During WWII, Steinbeck served as a war correspondent for the NY Herald Tribune 9. In 1962 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature 10. Steinbeck died in NYC in 1968 of a heart attack

5. C. D UST B OWL 11.The Dust Bowl was a series of dust storms sometimes called black blizzards 12. The Dust Bowl lasted from 1930-1936 13. Caused by severe drought conditions along with decades of extensive farming without crop rotation 14.(Video) 15. Caused many farmers in Great Plains area to migrate West, 200,000s moving to California - called “Okies” although many of them also from Kansas and New Mexico 16. (Video) 17. Steinbeck learned firsthand about the experience of Okies from touring rural California Hoovervilles in 1936

6. D UST B OWL AND M IGRATION C LIPS

7. D. H OOVERVILLES 18. Hoovervilles were shantytowns found throughout the US during the Great Depression when millions lost their homes 19. They were named after Hoover because people were disappointed and frustrated with President Hoover’s attempts at relief at the beginning of the Great Depression 20. Authorities occasionally removed residents for trespassing on private land, but frequently tolerated out of necessity 21. Residences were mostly built out of cardboard, but also stones and scraps of metal

8. D. H OOVERVILLES CONTINUED 22a. Hoover blankets: old newspaper used as bedding b. Hoover flags: an empty pocket turned inside out c. Hoover wagons: cars with horses tied to them because the owners couldn’t afford gas

9. E. L ABOR M OVEMENT 23. In 1933 there were 3 million union members 24a. Most unions, such as the AFL, were associated with skilled crafts b. Most workers were in mass production such as steel, mining and automobile industry 25. Some blamed Great Depression on the unions because they fought for higher wages and better working conditions, which caused a rise in production costs

10. E. L ABOR M OVEMENT C ONTINUED 26. During the 1930s, many business owners considered workers who tried to organize to have socialist tendencies - called them “Reds” or “Commies” 27. The CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) split from the AFL and gave greater representation to unskilled workers

11. F. N EW D EAL 28. The New Deal refers to relief and recovery measures enacted by FDR during the Great Depression 29a. National Industrial Recovery Act (1933 - aka Wagner Act) provided for collective bargaining with unions b. Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) set minimum wage and maximum hours for certain types of work 30a.the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) b. FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) c. WPA (Works Progress Administration)