Dust Bowl Dbq

INTRODUCTION

An Italian immigrant once said, "I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, found out three things: First, the streets weren't paved with gold; second, they weren't paved at all: and third, I was expected to pave them” (Immigrant). The 1930s in America were a time of hardship for the many migrant workers immigrating to America. During this time, many immigrants wanted to come to America for better job opportunities and for a better life in general. Many American Immigrants were very poor and left everything to come and relocate to the United States, and were not greeted well when they arrived. The three major events that show the struggle of these migrant workers include The great depression,

America just came out of the tiring World War, and were physically and economically depleted. This major event was known as the Great Depression. The Great Depression lasted between 1929 - 1939, as was one of the biggest economic downturns in history. The Great Depression ended, immediately before the start of the 2 World War. The dust bowl was also a key event in American History. The Dust Bowl were huge storms caused by all the eroding soil from the crops and the farming. Not only did it lead to physical devastation, but it also led to economic devastation. Almost 2.5 million Americans migrated from the dust bowl stats, and as a result the east became very populated. Finally the California Drought is the final final major event that impacted the many migrant workers. The drought is known as the “worst drought in in history,” or a “megadrought.” The drought still goes on today, yet to

As stated in history.com, “The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1939, and was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world.” (history.com) America had just overcome the World War, and now the country was broken down economically and physically. As a result migrants coming to America had a hard time finding jobs and getting pay. Second the dust bowl was a major event in the migrants lives. For example, "Houses were shut tight, and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes." (Steinbeck). Many of the American immigrants moved to the west of America where the dust storms are most frequent. Due to the dust storms, many migrants were not able to leave the house, and as a result many were out of funds and work. Finally, the drought in America was very important. For example “In the 1930s, drought covered virtually the entire Plains for almost a decade (Warrick, 1980). The drought’s direct effect is most often remembered as agricultural, many crops were damaged by deficient rainfall, high temperatures, and high winds, as well as insect infestations and dust storms that accompanied these conditions.This caused many migrant workers to not be feed, as the food source was very limited. In conclusion these three events play a huge role in