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Historical Study: The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. Tenth Grade Literature and Composition. The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. Introduction. How did The Great Depression affect America?. Topics of Discussion. The “Roaring Twenties” The economy in the late 1920s
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Historical Study:The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl Tenth Grade Literature and Composition
Introduction • How did The Great Depression affect America?
Topics of Discussion • The “Roaring Twenties” • The economy in the late 1920s • The Stock Market Crash • The Dust Bowl • The lives of Migrant Workers
The “Roaring Twenties” • The first topic we will cover is the decade called the “roaring twenties”. • Let’s check out the poster…
First shopping mall built First fast food chain, A&W Root Beer Appliances were being massed produced—radios, washing machines, telephones, cars Companies spend $1.5 billion on advertising in 1927 Ford built his automobile empire People began to buy things on credit Business were booming! The Roaring 1920’s!!!
Contrast the men and women in these two drawings. What makes them different? Victorian WomanJazz Age Woman
The Economy of the Late 1920s • “Everybody ought to be rich” • 200 large companies controlled 49% of all American industry • Too many goods, not enough demand • Farm prices fell after WWI • Farmers not able to repay their debts
The Stock Market Crash • Stocks hit all-time highs in September of 1929 • In October, stocks began to fall • Ex. General Electric stocks bought for $400 sold for $283 • Black Tuesday—16.4 million shares sold, compared to average of 4 million • This collapse of the stock market is known as the Great Crash
Why did the market crash? • Many people bought stocks on margin—like a loan • Companies lied about their profits—remember Enron? • Economies like ours go through natural “boom” and “bust” cycles • Republican Presidents believed in laissez faire—no control on businesses • Stock market was not regulated by government
The Stock Market CrashFrom Riches to Ruin • Many wealthy families lost everything • Some even committed suicide • Millions of people who never owned a single stock lost their jobs, farms and homes • The crash triggered a much wider, long term crisis known as the Great Depression • The Depression lasted from 1929 to 1941 when America entered WWII • The Depression had a ripple effect that hurt the economies of other countries
Great Crash What was the average stock value in 1929? 1932?
The Great Plains region—N. & S. Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas Oklahoma and northern Texas Farmers plow the plains, eliminating the protective layer of grass Wheat replaces grass—tractors make it much easier Severe drought High winds Layers of top soil blown away, leaving dunes of grit and sand The Dust Bowl- 1930s
Migrant Workers • As the "double whammy" of drought and depression deepened on the Great Plains, more and more farmers gave up or were forced off of their land. • In addition, the relentless march of new tractors meant that the farmers who were able to scrape together enough money to buy a tractor could buy out their neighbors. • Fewer farmers could farm more land. But where would those who left go?
These boots are made for walkin’ • Some went to cities. But many decided to head west. • During the 30s hundreds of thousands left the plains for the West Coast. So many migrated from Oklahoma that they were dubbed "Okies" in the popular press. • For years, California, Oregon and Washington had been growing. Many who were pushed off of the plains were pulled west because they had relatives who had moved to the coastal areas which offered a perfect climate and an abundance of work in the agricultural industry.
Connection to Of Mice and Men • Clinging to each other in their loneliness and alienation, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie dream, as drifters will, of a place to call their own. But after they come to work on a ranch in the Salinas Valley their hopes, like "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men," begin to go awry.