Post on 23-Dec-2015
The Great Depression
The Farmers• By the 1930s, farmers had entered their
second decade of depressed prices.
• In the early years of the depression, thousands had lost their homes to foreclosure.– Banks took possession of farmers’ homes– Banks would then sell the homes & farms
at auction.
Plans to Keep the Farm• Penny auctions- staged sales of
property for pennies to friends, who returned it later.
• Borrowing money from relatives helped others to stay on their farms longer.
• Farmers on the Plains were not able to make this work for long, due to the “Dust Bowl”.
Tenant Farmers• Did not own the land they worked
– Made them very vulnerable to changes in the farm economy during the 1930s
• When the government paid farmers to let farm land go unplanted, most chose the land that the tenants farmed
• As landowners used their government checks to buy equipment, they no longer needed hired hands to help farm.
Mexican & Mexican American Workers
• Had generally been welcomed in the California fields as seasonal workers
• Between 1931 & 1934 LA officials rounded up 12,000 people of Mexican descent for deportation (some were US citizens)
• As the farm economy worsened, many fled to cities for work.
Think, Write, Pair, Share• What was the root cause of the poor
farm economy?
• What did government do to try to help?
• How were those who relied on farming for a living affected?
Life in the Cities• By 1933, 25% of people in cities were
unemployed.(national average)• In Buffalo, NY it was 30%• Chicago & Cleveland it was 50%• Toledo, OH it was 80%• Downtown shops closed• People sold apples on the streets• Beggars roved the sidewalks asking for spare
change
Silence is Deadly• Factory smokestacks emitted no smoke
• Construction sites were silent with half built structures just sitting there
• Everything slowed down
• The lack of activity was a sure sign of the depression
Unemployed in the City • The layoffs began after a couple of
years of the economic downturn
• African Americans and other minorities were the first laid off
• Full time employees were asked to job share
• Then these scaled down jobs were cut
Living in the Cities• With wage reductions, many working
people were no better off than the unemployed
• May have 15 people living in an apartment meant for a family of 3– Still they had trouble paying the rent and
eviction notices were common
The Homeless• It is estimated that by 1932, 2 million
people were on the road looking for work and a place to settle.
• Temporary shelters were called Hoovervilles
• Often, people had to scrounge garbage cans for food
Compare/Contrast• With the knowledge you have of the
Okies, and the info you have been given today; draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the farmers and city dwellers during the Depression.