Great Depression Flashcards
Who was Herbert Hoover? What was his impact?
President when the Depression started, so he was blamed. He believed that private charities and local communities should help the needed. He did not believe it was the government’s responsibility to help.
Who was Franklin D Roosevelt? What was his impact?
President during the Great Depression. He believed that the government needed to step in and create jobs for people.
Who was Margaret Mitchell? What was her impact?
A famous author from Atlanta. She wrote “Gone with the Wind”.
Who was Jesse Owens? What was his impact?
He was a famous track star that won four (4) gold medals in the 1936 Olympics.
Who was Duke Ellington? What was his impact?
He was a musician that emerged during the 1930’s. People would listen to his music to drown out their problems during the depression.
What stock market problems were experienced during the 1920s and 1930s?
Black Tuesday happened 19 October 1929. People thought they could make money quickly by buying stocks because of 1920s “good times”. So many people wanted to sell their stocks, but there was no one left to buy their stocks.
What bank problems were experienced at this time?
Banks had used customer’s money to buy stocks. The stock market crashed and the banks lost customer’s savings. Once the Depression began, many people who borrowed money could not repay their loans.
What business / factory problems were experienced?
One (1) out of four (4) / 25% of the people were out of work. 1920s factories produced too many goods and there were not enough consumers to buy the goods. Unsold goods piled up and factories decided to produce less.
What was the Dust Bowl?
In the plains there was a long drought from 1932-1935. Good top soil was blown away and crops could not be raised. During the depression, farm income dropped 50%. The skies would turn black with dry, blowing dust.
What are soup kitchens?
Provided mostly by charities. Soup kitchens provided food for those who could not afford it. They were created because so many people were out of jobs and could not afford groceries.
What was the Workers Progress Administration (WPA)?
Created jobs for 8.5 million people that dealt with manual labor. People built schools, libraries, and other public buildings. They painted murals and wrote books.
What was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)?
Created jobs by having people clean up local parks, build hikingtrails and clean up streets. Building canals, building wildlifeshelters, and restoring battlefields.
What is the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Created jobs by building dams on the Tennessee River to supply hydroelectricity and modern farming to rural areas.
What was the New Deal?
Government programs created to give jobs to people during the Great Depression. President Roosevelt believed that the only way out of the depression was to create new jobs, so he created the New Deal Programs.
Be able to explain how President Hoover and Roosevelt’s ideas and views of the economy and depression were different. Why would one be more effective over the other?
President Hoover believed the economy would turn around on its own, and people should do their best to find jobs. Roosevelt felt that in order for the economy to become stronger jobs had to be created for Americans.
