Hoovervilles and The Great Depression

1. Hoovervilles and The Great Depression Junior Composition The Grapes of Wrath

2. Hoovervilles • The Great Depression began in 1929 and lasted approximately a decade. • During the Great Depression, shantytowns appeared across the U.S. as unemployed people were evicted from their homes. • As the Depression worsened in the 1930s, many looked to the federal government for assistance.

3. Hoovervilles • Hoover believed that government assistance was not necessary to ameliorate the economic crisis at hand. • When the government failed to provide relief, President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) was blamed for the intolerable economic and social conditions. • The shantytowns that cropped up across the nation became known as Hoovervilles. • Democratic National Committee publicity director and longtime newspaper reporter Charles Michelson (1868-1948) is credited with coining the term, which first appeared in print in 1930.

4. Hoovervilles • The highly unpopular Hoover, a Republican, was defeated in the 1932 presidential election by Democrat Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945). • FDR’s New Deal recovery programs eventually helped lift the U.S. out of the Depression. • In the early 1940s, most remaining Hoovervilles were torn down.

5. Hoovervilles TODAY! • As America's housing and economic crisis worsened through 2009, homelessness was on the rise. • Encampments and shantytowns often referred to as tent cities--with similarities to Hoovervilles--began appearing in parts of California, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, Washington and other states. • Many of Obama’s policies have similarities to FDR’s New Deal policies. • In addition, both softened the effects of the economic recession on Americans.

13. The Great Depression in America (1).asf

14. The_Story_behind__The_Grapes_of_Wrath (2).asf

15. Farmers_and_Their_Lost_Dreams__The_Dust_Bowl_Years (3).asf

16. The_Great_Depression_Hits_the_United_States (4).asf

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