Migrant Workers In The 1930s

Imagine trying to survive when the stock market crashes, thousands of banks close, and the Dust Bowl destroys crops. In the 1930s, the United States had a period of financial crisis, known as the Great Depression. The stock market crash, the closure of thousands of banks, and the Dust Bowl wrecked havoc on almost all of the citizens in the United States. The Great Depression led to farmers losing their farms, millions of people becoming migrant workers, and unsafe conditions for laborers.

Many farmers lost their land in the 1930s. Whether it was due to the large drought or their financial status, many farmers found themselves without a way to make a living. Daniel Cobalt states: “Other countries and the United States had surplus supplies, creating less demand for agricultural products” (Cobalt, sec. California). As a result of the little need for agricultural products, farmers made little money and therefore had to find other work. As a result, many farmers were forced to become migrant workers.

Migrant workers traveled throughout the country in order to find jobs, many wound up in Western states. Specifically, “Over one million people from the Midwest and Southwest moved to California in the 1930s” (Cobalt, sec. Workers). Due to the loss of jobs, migrant workers found they had to move halfway across the country just to keep themselves alive. Additionally, because migrant workers received extremely low wages, their working conditions were