OMAM Context (Chapter 1) Flashcards
What is the American Dream?
(The American Dream)
A national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success.
What was James Truslow Adams’ definition of the American Dream? (1931)
(The American Dream)
“Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”
Where is the idea of the American Dream rooted in?
(The American Dream)
The United States Declaration of Independence proclaims that ‘all men are created equal’ and that they are “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
What is the Dust Bowl?
(1930s California)
The increase in farming activity in the Great Plains resulted in the erosion of the precious soil. This plus a 7 year drought (starting in 1931) turned the fertile lands into a desert-like region known as ‘The Dust Bowl’. Dust clouds hit the area as the dry/thin soil was blown away.
What was the result of ‘The Dust Bowl?’
(1930s California)
Hundreds of thousands of farmers brought their families and belongings, and moved to California, which seemed like a promised land.
Why Salinas, California?
(1930s California)
The Salinas valley was the ‘salad bowl’ of America, producing mainly lettuce, broccoli, and artichokes. These crops provided jobs for many temporary workers. There were still farms producing wheat, cattle, and sheep, with which Steinbeck would be more familiar with.
Salinas is the birthplace of John Steinbeck, and the setting of ‘Of Mice And Men’.
What were the effects of losing your job in the Great Depression?
(Great Depression)
You and your family would most likely lose your home and end up on the streets. Many families that suffered this fate ended up living in cardboard shantytowns known as “Hoovervilles”.
What are the cycles that caused many businesses (including banks) to go bust? (2 cycles)
(Great Depression)
- A company goes bust, and the workers become unemployed. Other companies that relied on this company for it’s income go bust, and so on.
- When banks go bust, those who’ve deposited their savings in it lose them. This makes savers in other banks try to withdraw their savings, causing those banks to collapse.
Which sectors in particular struggled in unemployment?
(Great Depression)
Particularly in:
1. Agriculture (small farmers suffering particularly badly, losing their land due to their inability to pay back the borrowed money used to buy the land)
2. ‘Heavy’ industries** e.g. Coal, Iron, Steel
Were there any welfare systems for the struggling?
(Great Depression)
There were no unemployment benefits or housing benefits, and no free national health system. (Although some people had private health insurance, which increased during the 1930s).
