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.