Hardship and Suffering in the Great Depression

1. Use evidence and explain three ways Americans were impacted by the Great Depression

2. Analyze President Hoover’s response to the Great Depression by explaining what Hoover felt the role of government was during the depression

3. Evaluate Hoover’s response? (Should he be remembered as one of the worst Presidents ever or a President who was confronted with a problem so big, no one knew how to solve it)

Hardship and suffering in Great Depression*Stock market crash (1929) begins depression

Financial Collapse– Banks close- 9 mil. (People lose savings when banks go out of business)– 85,000 business’ go bankrupt– Unemployment- 1933- 25% (13 mil workers) 1929- 3% (1.6 mil. Workers)

• Define Unemployment (Are you currently unemployed? What can Government do to help the unemployed?

Dust Bowl

• Tex, Oklahoma, Kansas overgrazing caused topsoil to become loose, wind and drought created dust storms– Okies- farmers who moved to California (hated by native Californians)– Grapes of Wrath- book that detailed the plight of the Okies in CA

• Why would Californians be so upset at seeing these Okies arrive in CA? They are Americans• What can the Government do to help the Okies?

Effect on individuals- depression a struggle to survive marked by homelessness and hunger

• Describe what makes these Hoovervilles so undesirable to live in.• Homelessness- many people evicted and live in streets– Shantytowns- towns with shacks made of left over, discarded

junk (Hoovervilles)– Riding the Rails- many men sneaked on trains to travel– Soup Kitchens- place to get a free meal• *Laissez-Faire-No Gov. aid to feed and house people

Minorities- were the groups hit first and hardest by depression

• Looking at the two pictures, analyze the picture on the left and explain the contrast between the painting and the people waiting in line, and on the right how is the level of poverty different than today?

• Blacks- first fired, lowest wages• Mexicans- Am. demanded they go back to Mex. • Women- men believed they should not work if men can’t• Children- suffered malnutrition, health problems, and hunger

– *Many people never got over losing everything and felt uneasy about keeping wealth even after the depression ended

President Hoover’s Response to the Great Depression (Hoover was President for the first 3 years of the depression 1929-1932) felt the government should not help out Americans in need?– “Rugged Individualism” Gov. aid would make Americans lazy

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) one Gov. agency created by Hoover to help out during Depression Gov. loaned money to banks and businesses

• How could the RFC been more effective?

• Bonus Army- WWI Veterans who wanted their retirement/war bonus early ( veterans camped out in Washington DC, said they would leave when they received their bonus which was due in 1941, but they were starving in 1931)– What is the attitude Americans share towards America’s veterans?– How should Hoover respond? (BTW, Hoover does NOT have the money

to pay the vets!)– Hoover sent in the Army with tear gas, Hoover looked like he did not

care about ordinary Americans (ensured he would not be re-elected)