For homework, I was first asked to read about the Great Depression.
According to this article, what was wrong with President Hoover's response? Why did people blame themselves when things went wrong, and how valid or invalid was this response?
President Hoover responded to the economic crisis by not properly recognizing it as a lasting threat. He proposed trickle-down economics instead of giving relief to those in need.
Since it was the mindset of the time period that success came with hard work and was due to one's actions, people, especially men, blamed themselves when they struggled. This was an invalid response, because one-fourth of the workforce was laid off. It was not their fault.
President Hoover responded to the economic crisis by not properly recognizing it as a lasting threat. He proposed trickle-down economics instead of giving relief to those in need.
Since it was the mindset of the time period that success came with hard work and was due to one's actions, people, especially men, blamed themselves when they struggled. This was an invalid response, because one-fourth of the workforce was laid off. It was not their fault.
I then read about Black Sunday.
How would you have felt if you'd been there on that day? What kinds of fears, concerns, or questions would be going through your mind during, and after, the event described?
That day sounded terrifying. I would have panicked if I was hit by a dust storm and could not see anything. Before being hit, my only thoughts would be escaping the cloud and frantically finding safety. During, I would probably not be able to think of much else besides my own safety and my family's. I would be concerned about how hard my friends, family, and possessions were hit after the storm passed.
That day sounded terrifying. I would have panicked if I was hit by a dust storm and could not see anything. Before being hit, my only thoughts would be escaping the cloud and frantically finding safety. During, I would probably not be able to think of much else besides my own safety and my family's. I would be concerned about how hard my friends, family, and possessions were hit after the storm passed.
Next, I clicked on a link about The Drought.
What areas were affected by it? What caused it? The author ends this article with a pithy quote. Do you agree or disagree with this historian's perspective? Why or why not?
About a third of the Great Plains, including most of the Texas panhandle, northeastern New Mexico, Western Kansas, Southern Colorado, and the Oklahoma panhandle, were included in the Dust Bowl, the area largely affected. The drought was worsened because settlers misused the land with their farming techniques. They planted too much wheat, which was unhealthy for the soil. Cattle and sheep were let to overgraze, so wind erosion became an all too legitimate problem.
The author concludes the passage with this quote: “The ultimate meaning of the dust storms of the 1930s was that America as a whole, not just the plains, was badly out of balance with its natural environment. Unbounded optimism about the future, careless disregard of nature’s limits and uncertainties, uncritical faith in Providence, devotion to self-aggrandizement – all these were national as well as regional characteristics.” Though I am not an expert on the matter, I would agree. The quote reminds me about how the passage about the Great Depression described the cause of the stock market crash. After consumerism rose in popularity, Americans seemed to excitedly spend more money than they really had. Their optimism about the future put them out of touch with both reality and their own weaknesses. The author felt the settlers in the Dust Bowl were the same.
Finally, I read about Mass Exodus from the Plains.
Were does the migration of people out of the Dust Bowl rank in terms of other migrations in US History? What made life hard for people once they arrived in California?
The migration of people out of the Dust Bowl was the largest in America's history. Life was hard once these people arrived in California. The farms there were larger, different, and owned by companies. So many people were in need of jobs that the people that worked were paid very little. Additionally, the cost of living was exorbitant. Many lived in squalor, and diseases broke out as a result. Finally, California natives were sometimes unwelcoming and could be discriminatory toward the migrants.
The migration of people out of the Dust Bowl was the largest in America's history. Life was hard once these people arrived in California. The farms there were larger, different, and owned by companies. So many people were in need of jobs that the people that worked were paid very little. Additionally, the cost of living was exorbitant. Many lived in squalor, and diseases broke out as a result. Finally, California natives were sometimes unwelcoming and could be discriminatory toward the migrants.
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