Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

Key Terms

• Shantytown: Makeshift towns with shacks made from scrap materials.
• Soup Kitchen: Places offering free or low-cost food.
• Bread Line: Lines of people waiting to receive food from charitable organizations or public agencies.
• Dust Bowl: Region suffering from severe dust storms during the 1930s.
• Direct Relief: Cash payments or food provided by the government to the poor.

One American's Story

• Ann Marie Low experienced the Dust Bowl on her family's farm in North Dakota.
• Severe drought in the early 1930s affected the Great Plains, causing dust storms.
• Ann's diary entry on April 25, 1934, describes the pervasive dust and its impact on health.

The Depression Devastates People's Lives

Urban Impact

• Unemployment led to homelessness and hunger in cities.
• People lived in shantytowns or makeshift homes.
• Soup kitchens and bread lines became common.

Personal Accounts

• Herman Shumlin described bread lines in New York City during the Depression.

Racial Impact

• African Americans and Latinos faced higher unemployment and racial violence.
• 24 African Americans lynched in 1933.
• Many Mexican and Mexican Americans were deported or relocated.

Rural Impact

• Farmers lost land due to foreclosure; many became tenant farmers.

The Dust Bowl

• Drought and poor farming practices led to severe dust storms.
• Dust storms affected Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.
• Thousands of farmers migrated westward, many to California.

Effects on the American Family

Family Resilience

• Families relied on unity and traditional values for strength.
• Entertainment included board games and radio.
• Economic hardship strained family dynamics; some families broke apart.

Men

• Difficulty coping with unemployment; some abandoned families.
• 300,000 men (hoboes) wandered and searched for work.

Women

• Managed tight budgets, canned food, sewed clothes, and often worked outside the home.
• Faced resentment for working, particularly married women.

Children

• Suffered from poor diets and inadequate healthcare.
• Budget cuts led to school closures; many children worked in poor conditions.

Social and Psychological Effects

• Suicide rates rose by over 30% between 1928 and 1932.
• Compromises led to lifelong impacts on health and life choices.
• Generosity among communities helped those in need but stigma of poverty persisted.

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Compare Farmers and City Dwellers: Use a Venn diagram to list effects of the Great Depression.
2. Contrast Gender and Age: Analyze differences in impact on men, women, and children.
3. Dust Bowl's National Impact: Evaluate how conditions affected the entire country.
4. Outlook Changes: Consider ways the Depression altered perspectives on life and security.

Conclusion

• The Great Depression had profound effects on American society, altering family structures, economic practices, and social dynamics.