by 1933, over 12 million were unemployed ¼ of the workforce bread line and soup kitchen –...
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Soup Kitchens and Bread Lines
By 1933, over 12 million were unemployed ¼ of the workforce
Bread line and Soup Kitchen – receive free food
Shantytowns and Hoovervilles
People who couldn’t pay rent, evicted and kicked out by bailiffs
Hooverville – blaming President Hoover for their situation Built shacks in unused or public
land▪Central Park in NYC
Dust Bowl
Farmers have more problems1932 – Drought
No crops planted to keep topsoil down No rain, soil turned to dust
Mortgage farms and turn over to banks
Migrate west Okies to California
Entertainment to Escape
Movies See rich, happy,
successful people▪ release from worry
Cartoons▪Walt Disney – Snow White (1937)▪ The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Entertainment to Escape
Radio News reports Comedy Acts – Jack Benny, George
Burns Adventure stories – The Green
Hornet; The Lone Ranger Daytime radio – soap operas –
sponsored by laundry soap
Promoting Recovery
Public Works – government-financed building projects
How do you get funding for them? Help replace lost jobs Urged state and local gov’t to do
the same Doesn’t replace enough jobs
Promoting Recovery
Gov’t needed to increase spending dramatically Need tax revenue – who does that
hurt? Or increase the debt, deficit
spending▪ Take loans from banks, less money for people
Government Lending
Banks did not have the money to loan
Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) Loans to banks, railroads, agriculture Didn’t meet needs
Relief
Emergency Relief and Construction Act July 21, 1932 $1.5 bil for public works $300 mil for direct relief
Too little, too late
Anger and Protests
Hunger Marches
Farmers Revolting Foreclosed on
mortgaged farms Destroy their crops
to raise prices
Anger and Protest
Bonus Marchers 1924 – Congress passed $1000 bonus for WWI vets
1932 – bill proposing early pay Vets marched, road rails to Washington Stayed in Hoovervilles, abandoned buildings in D.C. for
weeks Bill was voted down in Senate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkmo4ygPTjc Brother Can You Spare a Dime? Hoover Spurns
the Bonus Army http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU&feature=kp