U.S. History / Unit 7: The 1920s, Great Depression and New Deal
7.5 Life in the Great Depression
Notes
By 1933 about 25 percent of American workers were unemployed.
- People lost homes and lined up at breadlines and soup kitchens. Shantytowns of the homeless were nicknamed "Hoovervilles."
- The Dust Bowl: drought and poor farming methods turned the southern Great Plains into dust storms. Thousands of families ("Okies") moved to California looking for work.
- President Herbert Hoover believed in "rugged individualism" and voluntary action. He created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1932) to lend to banks and businesses but opposed direct federal relief to individuals.
- The Bonus Army (1932): WWI veterans marched on Washington asking for early payment of a promised bonus. The army drove them out, hurting Hoover's popularity.
- Mexican Americans faced repatriation campaigns; many, including U.S. citizens, were pushed to leave for Mexico.
Practice
Shantytowns of homeless people during the early Depression were called:
The name blamed President Hoover for the hard times.
Which best explains the causes of the Dust Bowl?
Without native grass roots, dry topsoil blew away in huge storms.
Hoover's response to the Depression was limited mainly because he believed:
Hoover favored voluntary efforts and aid to businesses rather than direct relief.
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