The Depression

Question 1

What was the impact of the depression on the USA?

4 points

Answer 1

1) There was speculation on the stock market.
2) There was a panic selling of shares
3) An overproduction of foreign trade
4) Unequal distribution of wealth.

Question 2

Who were the Bonus Marchers and what did they want?

Answer 2

WW1 veterans who wanted their bonuses paid.

Question 3

What did the Bonus Marchers want the government to do?

Answer 3

To issue a bill which allowed early payment of their bonuses.

Question 4

What did the Bonus Marchers do in May and June of 1932?

Answer 4

A Bonus Expeditionary Force, made up of over 12000 unemployed and homeless veterans from all over the USA, marched to Washington DC to voice their support for a bill.

Question 5

How did the Government react to the Bonus Marchers?

4 points

Answer 5

1) They labelled them as a rabble and communists and sent the police to clear them from the buildings they lived in.
2) It would cost the government $2.3 billion and Hoover declared this was too much.
3) congress provided money for transport home for the Marchers but 5000 refused.
4) The army were sent to disperse the crowd.

Question 6

How many people were unemployed by the end of 1929?

Answer 6

2.5 million

Question 7

How many people were unemployed by 1932?

Answer 7

13 million

Question 8

How did black and white unemployment compare in the cities?

Answer 8

Black unemployment: 50 %

White unemployment: 20 %

Question 9

What did the depression cause in cities?

4 points

Answer 9

1) Factories began to close down.
2) People stopped spending.
3) Production slowed down or stopped.
4) People lost homes and drifted across the country as hobos.

Question 10

How much of the workforce were unemployed in 1933?

Answer 10

1/3

Question 11

How many hobos were there in 1932?

Answer 11

2 million

Question 12

What was the depression like in the countryside?

4 points

Answer 12

1) Farmers unable to sell their produce.
2) Food left to rot.
3) More that 1 million left home to seek work.
4) People from Oklahoma were known as ‘Okies’ and Arkansas ‘Arkies’.

Question 13

What was the drought in 1931 known as?

Answer 13

The Dust Bowl

Question 14

In which areas of America did the Dust Bowl affect?

Answer 14

Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas.

Question 15

How much land did the Dust Bowl affect?

Answer 15

2 million hectares

Question 16

How did the depression affect family life?

5 points

Answer 16

1) Marriage rate fell from 1.23 million in 1929 to 982,000 in 1932.
2) Birth rate fell.
3) Suicide rate drastically increased from 12.6 per 1000 people to 17.4 in 1932.
4) Schools in Arkansas closed for 10 months.
5) By 1932 25 % of the population were not receiving income.

Question 17

What were Hoovervilles?

Answer 17

Sarcastic names for the dwellings of the depression that soon caught on due to Hoover’s lack of concern or support.

Question 18

What was life in Hoovervilles like?

Answer 18

There were no running water or sewage systems.

Question 19

How long did the Hoovervilles last for?

Answer 19

Until 1941

Question 20

What were Hoover blankets?

Answer 20

Layers of newspapers

Question 21

What were Hoover flags?

Answer 21

Men’s trouser pockets inside out

Question 22

What were Hoover wagons?

Answer 22

Horses tied to cars.

Question 23

When was Hoover president?

Answer 23

1929-1939

Question 24

Was Hoover a Democrat or a Republican?

Answer 24

Republican

Question 25

What were Hoover’s 3 key beliefs?

Answer 25

Deflation, Rugged Individualism and Laissez Faire

Question 26

What did Hoover say during his election campaign?

Answer 26

‘We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land.’

Question 27

Which Act did Hoover pass in 1930?

Answer 27

Agricultural Marketing Act

Question 28

What was the purpose of the Agricultural Marketing Act?

Answer 28

To prevent the dropping of crop prices.

Question 29

Which Act did Hoover sign in 1930?

Answer 29

‘The Smoot Hawley Act’

Question 30

What was the purpose of The Smoot Hawley Act?

Answer 30

To raise tariffs, stop trade, foreign nations stopped buying US goods.

Question 31

What did Hoover pass in January 1932?

Answer 31

The Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Question 32

What was the purpose of The Reconstruction Finance Corporation?

Answer 32

Giving millions to banks and corporations.

Question 33

Which other acts did Hoover pass in 1932?

Answer 33

The Revenue Act

The Emergency Relief Act

Question 34

What was the Purpose of the Revenue Act?

Answer 34

Increased taxes on businesses.

Question 35

What was the purpose of the Emergency Relief Act?

Answer 35

To give the state government $300 million to provide jobs for the unemployed.