Great Depression1929 - 1941

The optimism of the 1920’s

concealed problems with the

American economy.

The Great Depression had a widespread

and severe impact on American life.

The “Boom”

There will be no interruption

of our permanent prosperity.“

Myron E. Forbes, President, Pierce Arrow Motor Car Co.,

January 12, 1928

The “Boom”

“It is just as

important that

business keep out

of government as

that government

keep out of

business.”

Herbert Hoover, President of USA,

1929

Stock Ticker Tape

The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act

a.k.a. The Tariff Act of 1930

“An Act to provide revenue, to regulate commerce

with foreign countries, to encourage the industries

of the United States, to protect American labor, and

for other purposes.”

Signed into Law: June 17, 1930

Stock Market Crash

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929

“October 29, 1929, “Black Tuesday,” is

Known as the worst day in stock market

history.

People were in panic. They couldn’t get

rid of their of their stocks fast enough.

Since everyone was selling and nearly

no one was buying, stock prices

collapsed.”

The “Bust”

A. What were the causes of

the

Great Depression? 1. People overspeculated on ______,

using borrowed ______ that they

could not repay when stock prices

_______.

2. The ______________ failed to

prevent the collapse of the banking

system.

3. High _____ discouraged

international _____.

stocks

money

crashed

Federal Reserve

tariffs

trade

NOTES

B. How did the Great Depression impact

the lives of Americans?

1. A large number of ______ and

__________ failed.

2. ___________ of workers were

without jobs.

3. Large numbers of people were

_______ and _________.

4. ________ incomes fell to low

levels.

banks

businesses

One-fourth

hungry homeless

Farmers

NOTES

Impact on the

American Economy

1929 1933

U.S. Banks in Operation 25, 568 14,771

Personal/Company Savings $15.3 B $2.3 B

Stocks Sold in U.S. 1.1 B 0.65 B

Run on Banks

It’s a Wonderful Life

Businesses Fail

Banks Fail

25% Unemployment Rate:

¼ of America was out of work!

Images of the Great

Depression

What’s going on?

Directions: Use the following slides to identify & explain each image in your notes

packet.

Bread

Lines

Hoovervilles

Farm Foreclosures

Farm Auction

Farmers Income Fell to LOW

Levels“In the aftermath of World War I, demand for American goods from abroad fell

drastically. During the years 1918 and 1919, American Farmers saved Europe

from starvation as countries tried to rebuild… But from 1919-1921 demand fell,

and agriculture income fell from 17.7 billion to a very low 10.5 billion. Farmers

found themselves with a surplus of goods, bad soil, low prices, and no relief in

taxes or mortgage payments. Bad soil and low demand caused land values to

drop. To compensate for the extremely low prices, farmers planted more. Thus,

a cycle was formed. High surplus leads to lower prices, which necessitates

borrowing money, which creates debt, which leads to an increased production

to pay the debt, which creates a surplus of goods. This cycle trapped the

majority of American farmers throughout the twenties and thirties.”

Dust Bowl

History Channel:

Black Blizzard

History Channel:

Dust Storms Strike America

Migrant Farm Workers

Dorothea Lange’s

Migrant Worker Photos

In states like California and Florida, families traveled from

farm to farm in search of work harvesting crops.

Okie? A negative term referring to people from Oklahoma migrating to California.

“Okies” were escaping the devastation of the Dust Bowl, but since jobs were

scarce everywhere, they did not receive a warm welcome in California.

“Migrant Mother” of Florence Thompson,

who was originally from Oklahoma

Riding the Rails

The New Deal President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Plan to Fix America’s Economy

Source for New Deal slides: Fast Track Teaching, click on the source links on each slide to access additional resources

Section C:

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

C. Major Features of the New Deal

The 3 R’s – ______, _________, and ________

1. ______________ – This program ensured that working Americans would

have money available to live on when they become older and retired.

2. ______________________ – WPA, created jobs centered around public

works projects such as construction or education needs.

3. _____________________________________ – CCC, which focused on the

conservation of natural resources along with protecting the environment.

4. _________________________ – AAA, which helped farmers who had lost

income due to overproduction of crops, and worked with them to improve the

quality of soil on their farms.

1. _________________________ – Fair Labor Standards Act which set the

standard work week at 40 hours, created a minimum wage for workers, and

allowed workers to form labor unions.

Relief Recovery Reform

Social Security

Federal Work Programs

Environmental Improvement Programs

Farm Assistance Programs

Increased Rights for Labor

NOTES

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal used government programs

to help the nation recover from the Great Depression. Even

though the New Deal programs worked to improve the

economy and the lives of all Americans, things were still tough!

What officially brought America out of the Great Depression

was….

WWIIArmies need war supplies to fight. American factories were ready

to go when it came time to manufacture guns, tanks, planes, and

every other weapon needed to defeat the AXIS powers of

Germany, Japan, and Italy in WWII.

How did the Great Depression End?

The Century: America’s Time

Stormy Weather (1 of 3)

Stock Market Crash, Great Dep.,

Bank/Business Failures, Breadlines, ForeclosuresStart @ 3:00

End @ 11:50

1

The Century

Stormy Weather (3 of 3)Start - 0:30 The New Deal cont.

0:30 Unionization of Labor

*Note: 2:00-2:30 shows mild graphic violence during riots

4:30-8:17 Problems with the New Deal, Huey Long

8:20-10:36 Welfare, Social Security, Second Hundred Days, FDR reelection

4

The Century

Stormy Weather (2 of 3)

Start at the beginning: 0:00 – 1:00 Dust Bowl cont.

1:00-3:23 Riding the Rails

3:24-5:15 Strikes, Protests, and Radical Movements/Communism

5:15-9:50 Worldwide Global Depression, the start of Nazi Germany

9:50-10:50 Hoovervilles

10:52 – FDR Elected (12:28 “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” speech)

13:36-14:59 Start of the New Deal, Rescuing the Banks, Regulating Business, Civilian Cons. Corp.

3

The Century

Stormy Weather (1 of 3)

14:24 - End

2