Lesson 7: Life During the Depression Flashcards
Black Cabinet Definition
a group of black leaders who unofficially advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt concerning the situation of African Americans
Civil Rights Definition
the rights due to all citizens
Dust Bowl Definition
the region in the central and southern Great Plains that was hit by severe drought soil erosion, and dust storms in the 1930s
Indian New Deal Definition
a series of laws passed in the 1930s that gave Native American nations greater control over their own affairs
Migrant Worker Definition
a person who moves from one region to another in search of work
During much of the 1930s, what were states from Texas to the Dakotas experiencing? What was the Dust Bowl?
During much of the 1930s, states from Texas to the Dakotas suffered a severe drought. One region in the central Great Plains was especially hard hit. The topsoil dried out. High winds carried the soil away in blinding dust storms. As a result, this area became known as the Dust Bowl.
How did dust storms in the Dust Bowl cause damage to the environment and food? What caused the Dust Bowl to form?
Dust storms buried farmhouses, fences, and even trees over large areas of the plains. People put shutters over doors and windows, but the dust blew in anyway. Even food crunched when it was chewed. One storm blew dust from Oklahoma to Albany, New York. A Kansas farmer sadly reported that he sat by his window counting the farms going by. What caused the disaster? Years of overgrazing by cattle and plowing by farmers destroyed the grasses that once held the soil in place. The drought of the 1930s and high winds did the rest.
Who were hardest hit by the drought and dust storms in the Dust Bowl? What were Okies? What were migrant workers? Where did Okies hope to find jobs?
Hardest hit by the drought and dust storms were poor farmers in Oklahoma and other Great Plains states. Hundreds of these “Okies” packed their belongings into cars and trucks and headed west. They became migrant workers—people who move from one region to another in search of work. They hoped to find jobs in the orchards and farms of California, Oregon, or Washington.
What were the challenges faced by Okies when they reached the West Coast? What was the predominant reason for such challenges?
Once they reached the West Coast, the migrants faced a new hardship—they were not wanted. Local citizens feared that the newcomers would take away their jobs. Sometimes, angry crowds blocked the highways and forced the migrants to go elsewhere. Those migrants who did find work were paid little.
What importance did traditional roles play in the Great Depression? What did some women do to make extra money? What did women find out about unemployed husbands?
Traditional roles took on added importance during the Depression. Homemakers had to stretch family budgets to make ends meet. Some women took in laundry to earn extra money. Others took in boarders to help pay the rent. Wives also found that unemployed husbands needed more nurturing to feel worthwhile.
What problems did working women face during the Great Depression?
Working women faced special problems during the Depression. If jobs were available, employers hired men before they would hire women. In order to spread jobs around, the federal government refused to hire a woman if her husband had a job.
What jobs did women take up during the Great Depression? By how much did the number of married women in the work force increase? What did they work as?
Despite such obstacles, millions of women earned wages in order to support themselves and their families. During the 1930s, the number of married women in the work force increased by 52 percent. Educated women took jobs as secretaries, schoolteachers, and social workers. Other women earned livings as maids, factory workers, and seamstresses.
In San Antonio, Texas, what percentage of pecan shelters were Mexican American women? What did Emma Tenayuca do when their pay was lowered?
Some women workers struck for better pay. In San Antonio, Texas, at least 80 percent of the pecan shellers were Mexican American women. When employers lowered their pay, a young worker, Emma Tenayuca, organized the shellers and led them off the job. Tenayuca said later, “I had a basic faith in the American idea of freedom and fairness. I felt something had to be done.”
How did Eleanor Roosevelt create a new role for the First Lady? Where did she visit? What did she advocate for?
Eleanor Roosevelt created a new role for the First Lady. Acting as the President’s “eyes and ears,” she toured the nation. She visited farms and Indian reservations and traveled deep into a coal mine. She talked to homemakers, studying the condition of their clothing on the washline to measure how well they were doing. The First Lady did more than just aid the President. She used her position to speak out for women’s rights, as well as other issues. In her newspaper column, “My Day,” she called on Americans to live up to the goal of equal justice for all. By speaking out on social issues, Eleanor Roosevelt angered some people. However, many other Americans admired her strong stands.
When the Depression hit, who were often the first to loose their jobs? By 1934, what was the unemployment rate of African Americans? What other forms of discrimination did they face?
When the Great Depression hit, African American workers were often the first to lose their jobs. By 1934, black workers were suffering a 50 percent unemployment rate, more than twice the national average. Often, they were denied public works jobs. Some charities even refused to serve blacks at centers giving out food to the needy.
Who urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to improve the situation of African Americans? What did he do in response? How did the Civilian Conservation Corps help?
Eleanor Roosevelt and others close to the President urged him to improve the situation of African Americans. The President responded to their needs. For example, thousands of young African American men learned a trade through the CCC.
By aiding African Americans, Franklin D. Roosevelt won their support for which political party? Who were the Black Cabinet? Who were Robert C. Weaver and Mary McLeod Bethune? What was Bethune appointed head of? Why was this monumental?
In aiding African Americans, FDR won their support for the Democratic party. The President invited African American leaders to the White House to advise him. These unofficial advisers became known as the Black Cabinet. They included Robert C. Weaver, a Harvard-educated economist, and Mary McLeod Bethune, a well-known Florida educator. Roosevelt appointed Bethune to head the National Youth Administration’s Division of Negro Affairs. She was the first African American to head a government agency.
Despite often following the advice of the Black Cabinet, what did FDR disagree on? What was his reasoning?
Often, Roosevelt followed the advice of the Black Cabinet. However, when African American leaders pressed the President to support an antilynching law, he refused. He feared that by doing so he would lose the support of southerners in Congress for his New Deal programs.
Why did many black leaders call on many African Americans to unite? What were civil rights? What did African Americans do in an attempt to obtain them?
Many black leaders called on African Americans to unite to obtain their civil rights—the rights due to all citizens. African Americans used their votes, won higher-level government jobs, and kept up pressure for equal treatment. Slowly, they made a few gains. However, the struggle for civil rights would take many more years.
Remember: The hard times of the Great Depression created fear and insecurity among many Americans. These feelings sometimes erupted in discrimination and hostility toward Americans with different ethnic backgrounds.
The hard times of the Great Depression created fear and insecurity among many Americans. These feelings sometimes erupted in discrimination and hostility toward Americans with different ethnic backgrounds.
By the 1930s, where did Mexican Americans work? How were they discriminated against? In good times, what had employers encouraged Mexican Americans to do? How about in bad times? How many Mexican Americans were deported back to Mexico?
By the 1930s, Mexican Americans worked in many cities around the country. A large number, however, were farmworkers in the West and Southwest. There, they faced discrimination in education and jobs and at the polls. In good times, employers had encouraged Mexicans to move north and take jobs in factories or on farms. When hard times struck, however, many Americans wanted Mexicans to be sent back to their original country. More than 400,000 people were rounded up and sent to Mexico. Some of them were American citizens.
In response to resentment against Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino workers, what law did the government, under FDR, propose in 1935?
Some Americans resented Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino workers who competed with them for scarce jobs. Sometimes, violence against Asians erupted. Responding to pressure, the government sought to reduce the number of Asians in the United States. In 1935, FDR signed a law that provided free transportation for Filipinos who agreed to return to the Philippines and not come back.
In 1924, what had the government given to American Indians? Despite this, what conditions did they live in?
In 1924, Congress had granted all American Indians citizenship. Still, most Indians continued to live in deep poverty. President Roosevelt encouraged new policies toward American Indians.
In the 1930s, what was the Indian New Deal? What did it do?
In the 1930s, Congress passed a series of laws that have been called the Indian New Deal. The laws gave Indian nations greater control over their own affairs.
