g reat d epression 1930-1939. q uestions to think about was the great depression preventable? was...
TRANSCRIPT
GREAT DEPRESSION1930-1939
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT Was the Great Depression
preventable? Was the United States
government culpable in the even of the Great Depression?
Did the Great Depression have a lasting impact on the US?
Does Keynesian economics work? Did it in this situation?
Do we see any parallels between life in the Depression and our lives now?
CAUSES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION Life in the 1920s Buying on credit Speculative investments Overproduction of goods Drop in farm prices Laissez faire economics
(Hoover) False prosperity,
inequality of wealth Crop prices dropped as
much as 60% Stock market crash on
October 29, 1929
LIFE IN AMERICA DURING THE DEPRESSION
Unemployment rate soared (13 million people) Suicide rate almost tripled in the 30s. Thousands lost their homes and businesses Hoovervilles were built through out the United
States. Hoover had promised “a chicken in every pot” and instead, many were starving. People were furious.
Spread of illnesses such as influenza, polio and tuberculosis
Immigration virtually halted (over 200,000 in 1929, only 23,000 in 1933)
Bonus Army- WWI veterans who marched on Washington demanding pay for their service. The government had stopped paying benefits because they had no money.
Republican presidents (mostly Hoover) were blamed for the Depression and the US elected Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. This showed a common belief through out the country that the role of the government should change. FDR’s platform for the Presidency was focused on blaming Hoover as opposed to letting America know his plans for the presidency.
HOOVERVILLES
SOUP KITCHENS
DUST BOWL (DIRTY THIRTIES)
Period of severe dust storms due to decades of severe crop rotation, mostly centered in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle
When a farm was about to be foreclosed upon, neighboring farmers would often agree to keep auction bids low, purchase the farm and return it to the original owner. These were called penny auctions.
Made it impossible to grow crops for almost an entire decade
Thousands starved or lost their farms.
Many were forced to become migrant workers, known as Okies.
Many moved to California in order to escape the Dust Bowl.
FAMOUS PEOPLE AND RANDOM EVENTS OF THE 30S Jesse Owens- American athlete, famous for his
performance at the 1936 Olympics Will Rogers- American entertainer, cowboy Richard E. Byrd- American explorer who
explored the Arctic and Antarctic in the early 30s
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias- early female American athlete, won medals in basketball, track and golf
People focused on entertainment as an escape from their difficult lives.
Construction of the Empire State building finished in 1931
Gone With The Wind starring Clark Gable and Vivenne Leigh was produced
Penicillin was discovered in 1931 Wizard of Oz debuted in 1939 Shirley Temple became famous Star Spangled Banner became our national
anthem
FDR Elected in 1932, would serve four terms until his
death Stricken with polio as an adult and was confined to
a wheel chair but refused to be photographed in his wheelchair…there are only two known photos
Married to Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the first truly active first ladies
Created the New Deal, his plan the create jobs during the Depression. He did this by creating hundreds of government jobs such as construction projects (CCC, PWA, TVA)
Repealed Prohibition with the 21st Amendment Created the Social Security Administration
which still exists today Wrote the National Labor Relations Act which
permanently allowed and encouraged the creation of unions and strikes
Listened to John Maynard Keynes (believed that the government should actively interfere in the economy to keep it stable)
Fireside Chats- 30 evening radio addresses given by Roosevelt between 33-44
ASSIGNMENT
Create a character. Perhaps you are a businessman in NYC who has lost his trading company or perhaps you are the wife of a Dust Bowl farmer. Write one to two sentences telling me about who you are (family, job, age, etc)
Write a letter to a family member (at least 10 sentences) in which you describe how your life has changed since the Great Depression.
Be sure to include details that clearly illustrate that you understand the impact of the Great Depression on the average American