Warm Up

2. Using art to describe era of time: List the characteristics of “The Great Depression” based on the selected pieces of art.

Use these questions to help you analyze each piece:• What do you see?• What emotions can you see in the art piece?• How do you think it related to the people who saw it?

Departure of the Joads, from The Grapes of Wrath, Thomas Hart Benton, 1939

"The New Deal,“ by Conrad A. Albrizio, 1934

“Migrant Mother”, Photograph taken by Dorothea Lange, 1936

Unit 6: The Great DepressionThe Dust Bowl and New Leadership

What is the Dust Bowl?• a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology

and agriculture of the US. http://video.pbs.org/video/2247092322/

*** Not in your notes just an FYI***

Causes of the Dust Bowl:Human causes or factors – many farmers had misused the land (over planting, NOT rotating crops, and poor water management). These bad practices started in the 1920’s after WWI. Farmers wanted to increase production of wheat so they can counter the falling prices of crops. They plowed millions of acres of land in the Great Plains which ruined the soil of the land.

• Physical causes or factors – years of sustained drought caused the land to dry up; great clouds of dust and sand were carried by the wind (where the name “Dust Bowl” came from)

Discussion Question #1• What were the causes of the Dust Bowl?

• What states were affected by the Dust Bowl?

• Do you think this could happen again?

Effects of the Dust Bowl• Millions of acres of farmland became useless• Farmers cannot make any money so they lose their farms. • The elderly and children got sick from the dust (Dust

Pneumonia) and in a lot of cases would die.

Discussion Question #2• How bad would a situation get for you to take your entire

family and anything and everything you could carry and move away from your home? Think and share with your shoulder partner.

Effects of the Dust Bowl• Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their

homes. They went from farmers to migrant workers.• These new migrant workers made their way to California and

were looked down on and discriminated. • The arrival of many migrant families from the Midwest created

a relief crisis in cities like Los Angeles where, in 1932, nearly 20% of the population required some form of relief.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1311363860/

New Leadership in Government

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt – (FDR) Wins the Presidential election of 1932. He was a Democrat.

• Congress - In the Senate the Democrats won nearly 2/3’s majority and in the House they won almost ¾’s of the seats.

• Eleanor Roosevelt – traveled the country to help keep the President informed of social conditions and to remind the President of the suffering going on around the country. She also encouraged him to appoint women to government positions and helped open doors for African Americans in politics.

New Economic Plan

• New Deal – Roosevelt’s plan was to expanded the role of government in the economy and increase the number of new government relief programs

The Three R’s1. focused on relief for the

needy2. economic recovery3. financial reform

“The country needs and . . . demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But, above all, try something.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt, commencement speech to Oglethorpe University, 1932

The Great Depression

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The New Deal

Discussion Question #3• Explain the New Deal and what are the three things the New

Deal focused on with your partner.

• Or draw a picture explaining it…..cant be exactly like mine….

Renewing Faith in the Banks• Fireside chats – Roosevelt would

talk on the radio about issues of public concerns. He would put things in real simple terms so the average person could understand. These talks helped the people to feel like they were talking directly to the President.

• • The President explained to the

public that when too many people demanded their savings in cash, that banks would fail. Over the next few weeks many Americans returned their savings to the bank.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt9f-MZX-58

Discussion Question #4• Can you compare the effect of FDR’s fireside chats with

popular movies or music of the Great Depression? Are they similar or different? How so?

• Roosevelt’s First Hundred Days – a period of intense activity in which congress passed 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation.

Banking Reform and Finance• Bank holiday – Roosevelt closed all banks to prevent anymore

withdraws

• Emergency Banking Relief Act – authorized the treasury department to inspect banksA. Banks that were solid could reopenB. Banks that were unstable would remain closedC. Those that needed help could receive loans

Discussion Question #5• How did FDR get the support of the common man in the

1930’s?