The Spread of the Depression 1929-1932 (T2) Flashcards
What was the rate of unemployment rate during the Depression?
From 3.2% of the labour force in 1929 to 25.2% by 1933.
How many people were out of work?
12,830,000
What was the most likely figure of unemployed people?
17 million
What was the national wage bill in 1932?
Only 40% of the 1929 figure
How even was the spread of the Depression?
Unemployment and underemployment were spread throughout the country unevenly.
How many people were unemployed in New York State?
1 million unemployed.
How much of the workforce were unemployed in Cleveland?
50%
How much of the workforce were unemployed in Toledo?
80%
Who were the particular victims of the Depression?
Women and ethnic minorities
How many more black Americans were unemployed compared to white Americans?
Four to six times higher than the rate of white American unemployment rate.
What happened to the jobs that were reserved for Black Americans?
Poorly paid jobs such as those of waiter and lift attendant, were now increasingly offered to white people.
How many Black Americans were unemployed?
52% compared to 31.7% of white Americans.
How many Black Americans were unemployed by 1933?
50% compared to 25% of White Americans.
How many Black Americans left the South during the Depression years?
300,000
Who were the poorest of all Americans?
Native Americans
What was the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887?
Policy of allotment which meant that the old tribal units were broken up and the reservations divided into family-sized farms of 160 acres.
What did this destruction of Native American culture do?
Left people listless and apathetic.
Was allotment of Native American land a success?
Was a failure particularly for those Native Americans who were not farmers by tradition.
What was the land like that was given to Native Americans?
Most of the land allocated was unsuitable for productive farming.
How many acres were owned by Native Americans at the time of the Dawes Severalty Act?
138 million acres
How many acres of land had Native Americans lost by 1932?
90 million acres
How did the Great Depression impact Native Americans?
Native Americans found it more difficult to leave the poverty-stricken reservations in search of work.
How had attitudes towards the Dawes Severalty Act changed?
By 1926 a Department of the Interior inquiry confirmed that the Act had been a disaster and the policy of allotment should be reversed.
How were Hispanic Americans treated?
Had been widely recruited throughout the Southwest as seasonal workers to help agriculture.