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The Great Depression

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.

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The Great Depression

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  1. The Great Depression

  2. 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.

  3. 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”.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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?

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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.

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