Problems in the farming industry

Question 1

Which group of people were not enjoying the boom?

Answer 1

Farmers

Question 2

How much did farming increase decrease?

Answer 2

From $22 billion in 1919 to $13 billion in 1928

Question 3

Why did exports decline?

Answer 3

After the war, Europe imported less food from the USA because:

1. Europe was poor
2. It was a response to US tariffs which stopped Europe exporting to the US

Question 4

Who was competing against US farmers?

Answer 4

Canadian farmers

Question 5

Which Canadian farmers were particularly efficient?

Answer 5

Canadian wheat farmers

Question 6

What was happened to the size of the US population - and why did that matter?

Answer 6

It was decreasing - and therefore there were fewer mouths to feed and less demand for food

Question 7

What is meant by ‘over production’?

Answer 7

When a too much food (a surplus) is created

Question 8

Why was there overproduction in US farming?

Answer 8

Between 1900 and 1920, while farming was doing well, more and more land was being farmed - and more efficiently

Question 9

What sort of things helped improve the efficiency of US farming between 1900 and 1920?

Answer 9

• Combine harvesters

- Improved fertilisers

Question 10

By 1920, why was there an issue with wheat?

Answer 10

There was a surplus (too much) of wheat - and no one wanted it

Question 11

What happened to prices in the 1920s?

Answer 11

Prices plummeted

Question 12

Why did prices fall during the 1920s?

Answer 12

Desperate farmers tried to the sell their goods by cutting prices

Question 13

In 1921 alone, how far did prices fall?

Answer 13

Most farm prices fell by 50%

Question 14

What happened to many rural banks in the 1920s?

Answer 14

Hundreds of rural banks closed

Question 15

What happened to farm bankruptcies during the 1920s?

Answer 15

They increased.

There were five times as many in the 1920s as in the 1900s and 1910s.

Question 16

Were all farmers affected?

Answer 16

No - rich Americans wanted fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the year so these farmers could do OK

Question 17

How did shipments of lettuce change?

Answer 17

Shipments of lettuce to cities increased:

14,000 crates in 1920
52,000 crates in 1928

Question 18

For most farmers, what were the 1920s?

Answer 18

A time of hardship

Question 19

Approximately how many Americans lived in rural areas?

Answer 19

About 50% (half)

Question 20

Why did farming problems matter so much?

Answer 20

The Americans who lived in rural areas (50%) often either worked on farms or in businesses that sold goods to farmers.

Farming therefore directly affected 60 million Americans

Question 21

How many Americans were directly affected by farming?

Answer 21

60 million Americans

Question 22

How many Americans were forced off the land in the 1920s?

Answer 22

6 million

Question 23

Of the 6 million Americans forced off the land in the 1920s, what job did most of them hold?

Answer 23

Farm labourers (often unskilled)

Question 24

Where did most of the unskilled labourers go once they were forced off the land?

Answer 24

To the cities - where there was little demand for their labour

Question 25

Which unskilled labourers were particularly badly affected?

Answer 25

African Americans

Question 26

Why were African American labourers particularly badly affected?

Answer 26

They had always done the least skilled jobs in rural areas

Question 27

How many African Americans labourers became unemployed?

Answer 27

750,000

Question 28

What did many farming communities become fierce critics of?

Answer 28

The ‘laissez faire’ policies of the Republican Party

Question 29

Approximately what percentage of the population was directly employed in agriculture?

Answer 29

One quarter (25%)

Question 30

When alcohol was banned under Prohibition (1920-33), what happened to consumption of barley?

Answer 30

It fell by 90% (barley is used to make beer)

Question 31

How many fewer farms were there in 1930 compared with 1920?

Answer 31

One million fewer farms

Question 32

Where were fruit growers located?

Answer 32

Mostly in California and Florida

Question 33

Which states make up the Midwest?

Answer 33

States like Ohio, Kansas and Illinois

Question 34

What can be found in the Midwest?

Answer 34

Some of the richest farming land in the world

Question 35

What is ‘Dixie’?

Answer 35

The American South - generally those who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War

Question 36

Which states make up ‘the South’?

Answer 36

States like Texas, Florida and Louisiana. (Confusingly, not states west of Texas like California.)