Dust Bowl

The Struggle Through the Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl left the Great Plains with dry land and nowhere to farm. This led many people to move in search of jobs or new technology purchased using credit. Although everyone struggled, African Americans took the hit harder, as they were discriminated and lost jobs to whites. All residents of the Great Plains were affected, but African Americans were most significantly impacted. In the 1930s, a drought struck the Great Plains, leaving the United States in an economic and agricultural depression. An article over the Great Depression states that, “Many crops were damaged by deficient rainfall, high temperatures, and high winds, as well as insect infestations and dust storms that accompanied these

This is shown in, “During the early 1920s, farmers saw several opportunities for increasing their production. New technology and crop varieties were reducing the time and costs-per-acre of farming, which provided a great incentive for agricultural expansion” (“The Great Depression”). Some farmers saw the opportunity to continue to farm with new technology and moved. An issue that arose from this, is that farmers had no money to move or buy equipment and had to purchase them with credit, contributing to the economic crisis. Other farmers tried to stay, but were forced to move, “Many farmers could not maintain their operations and were forced to leave their land. Some voluntarily deeded their farms to creditors, others faced foreclosure by banks, and still others had to leave temporarily to search for work to provide for their families” (“The Great Depression”). Many farmers were left with no money or means of income and were forced to move to find jobs or new land. When they were looking for jobs, African Americans were usually denied jobs. The ones that had jobs were fired as their jobs were to be given to Whites. The agricultural depression forced many to move and African Americans both moving and already living there, weren 't given jobs and were

The American Experience tells us how Hoover took action, “Hoover declared a four-day bank holiday, during which congress passed the Emergency Banking Relief Act to stabilize the banking system” (“The American Experience”). Many people rushed to the bank to withdraw their money before it was used as credit for others or merely given away. President Hoover closed the banks as they were running out of money to give to people. Gene Smiley showed the economic effects of Hoover’s other plan, “Hoover’s fiscal policy accelerated the decline . Hoover had reduced all 1929 income tax rates by one percent because of the continuing budget surpluses. By 1930 the surpluses had turned into a deficit that grew rapidly as the economy contracted” (Smiley). Hoover established a fiscal policy in hope that surpluses would override it. The Fiscal Policy didn’t help the economy, but rather forced it to decline further. As Hoover’s plans failed, it was Roosevelt’s turn to attempt to fix the economy, ‘‘Roosevelt came up with the New Deal programs created a liberal political alliance of labor unions, blacks and other receiving government relief, and intellectuals” (“American Experience”). Roosevelt came up with a plan to help both the people and the quickly declining economy. His plan was aimed at reducing production and raising wages and prices. President Hoover came up with “Bank Holidays” but