What Caused The Dust Bowl In The 1930's

The Dust Bowl was caused by a variety of unfortunate circumstances at the worst time. The dust bowl refers the 1930’s when during the Great Depression, powerful winds ripped off the top soil (the soil that is best used for farming) and killed many crops. The farmers that were hit the hardest were the ones in the southern great plains. This region was soon known as the Dust Bowl. In the off season, farmers would plant grass to keep the topsoil from being taken with the wind. Document B states “Grass is what counts. It’s what saves us all – far as we get saved…. Grass is what holds the earth together.” This clearly refers to the fact that grass hold the soil in place. However, when it was time to farm farmers had to plow their land in order

Unfortunately it became worse. Document D states “Many more, however, stayed put, covering their windows with a water-soaked sheet, eating jack rabbit stew at a kitchen table where an “eating” cloth covered all the plates and drinking cups. Children died from breathing in dust. They called it “dust pneumonia.” Writer Timothy Egan has titled his book on Dust Bowl history as The Worst Hard Time.” This shows how awful life was during the great depression and the Dust Bowl. The 1930’s were a tough time, especially for the farmers who lost theirs farms and for the many children who died from the dust. The Dust Bowl was caused by modern farming tools and the large number of unprepared and unprotected farms. It is said that "In 1931, dust from the seriously over-plowed and over-grazed prairie lands began to blow. And, it continued to blow for eight long, dry years. As the storms blew across the plains, it came in a yellowish-brown haze from the South and in rolling walls of black from the North. This just wasn’t any wind, this dust-filled wind made even the simplest acts of life difficult. Taking a walk, eating a meal and breathing were no longer easy and they couldn’t be taken for