Through the completion of this project, my knowledge of the dustbowl has considerably expanded. I have learned about the dustbowl through textbook and lectures in class; however, this project has taught me the most about the dustbowl than any other source of information. This project improved my understanding of the dustbowl due to the fact that we used primary sources for our information. Primary sources allow us to get first-hand experience for any event and an actual account as to what happened. Although secondary sources helped my understanding of the dustbowl, primary sources gave me an actual representation of what occurred during the dustbowl through the use of providing interviews, photographs, and articles during the period of the dustbowl. The interview of LeRoy Hankel, who was a farmer during the dustbowl, really stood out to me because his words painted an image in my head. In his interview, Hankel recalls his time on the farm during the dust storm by saying that “it was just a cloud coming right over, that’s what it looked like. And it was all black.” …show more content…
The photographs I viewed captured the emotions of the farmers and their children. Viewing the photos, I noticed how the plains were barren and how nothing was in sight except for the dust. I believe the photographs gave me the best understanding because they captured the emotions of the farmer and in turn, I was able to understand why the farmers felt those emotions. Although the interviews were helpful, the stories were told later in the farmer’s life and he might not remember every detail and the description may not be accurate. Articles during the dustbowl also improved my understanding of the dustbowl. Through various articles from the 1930s, I learned how much money was lost during the dustbowl, how the economy and farmers were affected, and the steps to preventing future