The Great Depression of the 1930s brought catastrophe to many people in America, both workers and businessmen alike. It caused millions of Americans to lose jobs, and thousands of businesses to collapse in the shockwave of unemployment and debt. However, the industrial collapse was not the only calamity of this time. Another, equally as devastating tragedy that rocked the Americans of the 1930s was what many called the Dust Bowl.
The Dust Bowl was arguably one of the largest environmental disasters of America in its history, displacing 400 thousand people and making a vast desert out of 19 states. The danger behind this was not only the major unemployment that caused these millions of people to go out West as immigrant workers, but also caused the already depressed farming economy to suffer like never before. In terms of environmental science, the Dust Bowl was a caused by the overfarmed and nutrient depleted soil of the MidWest. After years of abuse of the soil, due to an industrialised farming system caused by the vast market provided by WW1, the MidWest had extremely loose, drifting soil. Drought also played a key part in this time, causing the soil to have absolutely nothing to anchor it. In the 1930s, winds started to pick up in the heartland of the US. Due to the overworked consistency of the land, the dry topsoil was lifted off of the land and turned into a massive storm. This storm of dust racked the farms of this area, covering towns and well-insulated houses inside and out with dust. There was no escape from the dust, and as such people started to flee to the West as immigrant workers.
The federal government did its best to assist the workers, with the Works Progress Administration giving close to 1 billion dollars in assistance, and naming the droughts during the 1930s to be the primary reason for federal aid. Moreover, 21% of rural families received federal emergency relief during this time. However, even with the federal aid there was not much that the families could do besides leave their dust covered houses and head to the farms of California to try and find work.
The Dust Bowl led to one of the largest migrations of its era, refugees pouring into the job markets of California and other Western states. Even though it was not all farm workers who looked for refuge in the West, those who were blue collar workers and even white collar were not given the focus that those who had lost acres of land had. This huge wave of refugees also created an increased pressure in the already struggling job market, leading to an increased amount of unemployment and causing those who originally had to compete for a job to have even less of a chance of getting out of their debt. Farmers who tried to start up a farm again were left the low quality land of the West, and due to the fact that they had lost practically everything in the dust storms, many were forced into a life of incredible debt. Subsequently the Dust Bowl of the 1930s did in fact play a significant role in the depression of the West, and the end of the prosperous industry of farming caused by WW1.
Sources:
http://faculty.washington.edu/gregoryj/dust%20bowl%20migration.htm
This is very interesting I didn't even know about the Dust Bowl and I'm glad I got to read a brief summary about it because it gives me more reasons and information on why so many people moved out west. This also shows how much the Great Depression had on America, it shows that the Depression was not the only thing causing major problems in the country, but the failure of agriculture and the non-cooperation of Mother Nature in this situation, shows how much more damage the Great Depression did.
ReplyDeleteWas it mostly the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, or an equal mixture of both that caused the farm life to be almost completely abandoned during this time?
Deletesource-http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_01.html
Often times, literature can depict a situation and even cause nation-wide interest in it. The book The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, is a fitting representation of the struggles the farmers to go through in the 1930's. In the book, Steinbeck describes a family of migrant workers, which drew the disapproval of the Associated Farmers of California. Many people thought that Steinbeck was a liberal, but millions across the country read it and discussed it, bringing the plight of the farmers to the people of the cities.
ReplyDeleteSource:
http://www.steinbeck.org/pages/the-grapes-of-wrath-book-synopsis
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ReplyDeleteAnother thing you could do in order to really emphasize the significance of the Dust Bowl is tell us how the Dust Bowl ended the Jeffersonian dream for good. One can argue that after the Dust Bowl America would abandon farming and ultimately become the capitalist giant that Alexander Hamilton wanted it to be. Hamilton knew that it was risky for America to rely only on farming and not have a more diverse economy.
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl