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The Conditions Of Migrating Families In The Grapes Of Wrath

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The 1940 film Grapes of Wrath accurately describes the working conditions of migrating families during the Depression. The Joad’s family was a fictional family that depicted the low wages and poor living conditions of the migrant workers during the Depression. The Grapes of Wrath was historically accurate for the entire film. The family’s during the Depression would pack everything across country and sleep wherever they could find a space to rest their tired bodies. The work consisted of long grueling hours in the California heat. The family was forced to continually migrate following the harvest season after they lost their land that they had in their family for many generations. This example from the movie was the honest truth that …show more content…

The migrant farmers had to make a new life for themselves after the land dried up due to the Dust Bowl that was caused by men and the machines that were used to turn up the top soil. The stock market crashed and farmers lost their long term investments and eventually most of them lost their farms. The drought was the nail in the coffin that sent the migrant farmer on their long journey to California. The Migrant farmers thought that they could travel to California and buy land to start over. The reality when they arrived was the complete opposite and some felt that California was not any better r than where they had come …show more content…

The U.S. farmers took priority over the immigrants that lead to repatriation during the 1930’s. The immigrant workers sought employment in the United States for the better wages and safer environments. The United States citizens sought work in California to earn wages and provide for their family. The repatriation was utilized because there were too many immigrants for each job available in California that kept the migrant farmer from being able to work; “the government deported more than 500,000 Mexican-Americans” during the 1930’s to help the migrant farmers have a better chance to gain employment in California agriculture

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