Unit 2 Lesson 2: Responses to the Great Depression

Question 1

Hoover believed strongly in the spirit of American individualism:

Answer 1

that hard work brought its own rewards.

Question 2

Hoover’s beliefs

Answer 2

To Hoover, the very existence of American civilization depended upon the moral fiber of its citizens. He saw this in the American ability to overcome hardships through individual effort and resolve

Question 3

How the Hoover feel about the idea of direct government aid?

Answer 3

The idea of direct government aid, what he considered to be “handouts,” was repellant to him. He didn’t like the idea.

Question 4

In keeping with these principles, Hoover’s response to the crash focused on two common American traditions.

Answer 4

He asked individuals to tighten their belts and work harder in the spirit of “rugged individualism.” He also asked the business community to voluntarily help sustain the economy by retaining workers and continuing production.

Question 5

rugged individualism

Answer 5

Herbert Hoover’s response to the Great Depression, the idea that individuals had the ability to overcome the effects of the economic depression without government assistance or intervention

Question 6

On October 22, 1928, as Herbert Hoover’s presidential campaign was nearing its end, he laid out his views about American individualism in a speech titled

Answer 6

“Principles and Ideals of the United States Government.” Today it is better known as his “Rugged Individualism” speech.

Question 7

What was Hoover’s stance on black tuesday like

Answer 7

Hoover sought to reassure Americans that all was well. Even as economic conditions quickly became worse, he continued to present a positive stance to the public.

Question 8

Example of Hoover’s stance

Answer 8

For example, in 1931, he pledged federal aid should he ever witness starvation in the country. By that date, however, he still did not believe such a need existed, despite the evidence that children and the elderly were starving to death. Yet Hoover was neither intentionally blind nor unsympathetic. He simply held fast to a belief system that did not change as the realities of the Great Depression set in.

Question 9

What did Hoover ask the business commuity to do

Answer 9

, Hoover also asked the business community to voluntarily help support the economy by continuing production and keeping employees working.

Question 10

He called a conference of leading industrialists to meet in Washington, DC. What happened there

Answer 10

e called a conference of leading industrialists to meet in Washington, DC, urging them to maintain their current wages while the nation rode out this brief economic panic.

Question 11

What did Hoover do with utlity and railorad companies

Answer 11

He held similar meetings with utility and railroad companies and promised billions of dollars in new construction projects.

Question 12

What were labor leaders like during this time

Answer 12

Labor leaders agreed to withhold demands for wage increases and workers continued to labor.

Question 13

What did Hoover do about taxes

Answer 13

Hoover also persuaded Congress to pass a $160 million tax cut to bolster American incomes, leading many to conclude that the president was doing all he could to stop the panic.

Question 14

How did Hoover feel aboutProviding any sort of aid directly to citizens,

Answer 14

Providing any sort of aid directly to citizens, in Hoover’s eyes, was considered a handout. He believed that such an action would not only lower morale but erode the very morals upon which the United States had been built. Instead, Hoover emphasized the importance of private volunteerism to help the impoverished.

Question 15

What role did private relief agencies have during this time

Answer 15

Private relief agencies, including such organizations as the American Red Cross, Community Chest, and the Salvation Army, distributed food to the poor through soup kitchens and bread lines.

Question 16

Hoover signed several pieces of legislation providing funding to the states. What impact did this have

Answer 16

The states, in turn, used the resources for public construction projects that would in turn create jobs. Hoover believed that such indirect aid would lead to a trickle-down effect that would put Americans back on their feet. They would not have to depend on charity from the federal government.

Question 17

Through all this, Hoover’s sympathy for those in need was boundless. elaborate

Answer 17

He refused his presidential salary, and throughout the Great Depression, he donated an average of $25,000 annually to various relief organizations to assist in their efforts. Furthermore, he helped to raise $500,000 in private funds to support the White House Conference on Child Health and Welfare in 1930.

Question 18

Hoover’s name became synonymous with the poverty of the era. Elaborate. What are Hoovervilles and Hoover blankets

Answer 18

The shantytowns built and populated by the homeless quickly earned the nickname “Hoovervilles,” and “Hoover blankets” referred to the newspapers the homeless used to keep warm.

Question 19

Throughout 1931 and 1932, businesses trying to stay afloat sharply cut worker wages. What did workers do in response to this

Answer 19

In response, workers protested with strikes and demonstrations.

Question 20

One of the most notable protest movements occurred toward the end of Hoover’s presidency in the spring of 1932. What happned in this protest

Answer 20

In this protest, some 15,000 World War I veterans calling themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force, or Bonus Army, marched on Washington, D.C. They were demanding early payment of their veteran bonuses, which were not due to be paid until 1945. The group camped out in vacant federal buildings and set up a Hooverville-like tent camp near the U.S. Capitol.

Question 21

Why did Hoover order police to empty the vuilding and clear out the camps?

Answer 21

Many veterans remained in the city in protest for nearly two months, although the U.S. Senate officially rejected their request in July. By the middle of that month, Hoover wanted them gone. He ordered the police to empty the buildings and clear out the camps.

Question 22

What happened when the police arrived

Answer 22

In the exchange that followed, police fired into the crowd, killing two veterans.

Question 23

What did Hoover doin repsone to the ploice killing 2 officers

Answer 23

Fearing an armed uprising, Hoover ordered General Douglas MacArthur, along with his aides, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, to forcibly remove the veterans.

Question 24

Fearing an armed uprising, Hoover ordered General Douglas MacArthur, along with his aides, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, to forcibly remove the veterans. What was this raid like

Answer 24

The raid that followed proved disastrous. The military burned down the shantytown and injured dozens of people, and Americans bore witness to photographs and newsreels of the U.S. Army forcibly removing veterans. Hoover’s popularity plummeted even farther.

Question 25

What impact did the Bonus Army and other protests have on American morale?

Answer 25

: It had only been 14 years since the end of World War I, and many Americans knew about and respected the sacrifices the veterans of that war made for the nation. They represented a great victory, and now they had fallen on hard times. It angered and saddened a frustrated nation.

Question 26

How did such demonstrations hurt Herbert Hoover in the 1932 presidential election?

Answer 26

If the fact that the government would not consider paying out the bonuses to needy and deserving soldiers, even though they would be paying them back early, did not turn many voters against the president, watching as the U.S. Army drove the veterans out of the nation’s capital with force certainly did. Many voters decided against returning Hoover to office.

Question 27

What is “rugged individualism”? How did this idea shape Herbert Hoover’s approach to managing the economic crisis of the Great Depression?

Answer 27

“Rugged individualism” was the idea that Americans could and should persevere to overcome hardship in lieu of government intervention. Hoover believed that through “rugged individualism,” Americans could emerge from the Great Depression without government “handouts.” As a result, he took a course of limited government intervention and resisted providing direct aid to citizens.

Question 28

How did Hoover’s administration initially respond to the Great Depression? What effects did this approach have on the country and his general popularity?

Answer 28

Hoover’s administration initially responded by asking Americans to tighten their belts and by asking private businesses to avoid layoffs and cutbacks. Hoover also provided funds to private agencies and the states to coordinate relief efforts instead of providing direct aid from the federal government.

Question 29

Compare the roles of the federal government, state governments, and private agencies in providing aid during the Great Depression. How were the similar and how were they different?

Answer 29

The federal government actively encouraged wealthy citizens and businesses to provide aid to citizens in need. The federal government also provided funds to private agencies and to the states. Private agencies and the states, on the other hand, played a more active role in providing direct aid to citizens. Private agencies provided food, clothing, and shelter, while the states worked to provide employment through public works projects.