THE GREAT DEPRESSION
What were the warning signs of
the Great Depression?
• Railroads, textiles, and
steel were barely making a
profit.
• Farmers faced problems.
• Consumers buying on
credit.
• Uneven income
distribution.
• Stock Marketspeculation and buying
on margin
What was Black Tuesday?
• October 29, 1929Lose of 16.4 million
dollars.
• Stock Market Crash
• People who bought
stocks on credit were
stuck with huge debts
as prices dipped and
others lost most of
their savings.
What was the Great Depression?
• Period from 1929-1940,
economy went down and
unemployment rose
dramatically.
• Goods and service cut in
half.
• At height, 25%
unemployment.
• Led to worldwide
depression.
What was the Hawley-Smoot
Tariff (1930)?
• Highest protective tariff
in U.S. history.
• Designed to protect
farmers and
manufacturers.
• Had opposite effect and
reduced trade with other
countries.
• Other countries raised
their own tariffs and hurt
American economy.
How were average people’s lives
affected by the Depression?
• Lost jobs, homes, and
life savings.
• Shantytowns- little towns
that were shacks.
• Soup kitchens- offering
free or low cost food
• Bread lines- charities
giving away food.
• Conditions for minority
groups were worse
because of job
competition and
discrimination.
What was the Depression like for
farmers?
• Some farmers could still
be self-sufficient and live
off the land.
• Many farmers lost their
land because they could
not pay the mortgage.
• Dust Bowl- Severe
drought from Kansas,
Oklahoma, Texas,
Nebraska forced many to
move West.
How were American families
affected?
Hoboes- men that wandered the
country hitching rides on trains
and sleeping under bridges
• Women- starving and
struggling to keep the family
together.
• Children- health problems,
poor schools, worried if they
would survive.
• Many were ashamed of poverty
and blamed themselves for not
succeeding.
What was Herbert Hoover’s
philosophy?
• Opposed direct relief to
the needy.
• Believed in voluntarism
which was encouraging
businesses to find
solutions.
• Worked horribly in
fighting the Depression.
• Hoover was heavily
criticized and run out of
office.
What was the Boulder Dam?
• Provided electricity
and flood control
• Regular water supply
• Success of Herbert
Hoover
What was the Federal Home
Loan Bank Act?
• Passed by Herbert
Hoover in 1932.
• Lowered mortgages
for homeowners and
allowed farmers to
refinance their farm
loans.
What was the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation?
• Authorized $2 billion
for emergency
financing in 1932.
• Trickle Down
Economics theory
• Example of too little
too late for
government help.
What was the Bonus Army?
• 1932- WWI veterans
demanded bonus that
was due in 1945 early.
• Hoover called in the
troops to put down
their demonstration.
• Disaster for Hoover.
Who was Franklin Delano
Roosevelt?
• Elected for 4 Presidential
terms (1932-1945)
• New Deal
• “The only thing we have
to fear is fear itself.”
• Led America thru the
Great Depression and
World War II.
• Optimism
What was the New Deal?
• Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s plan to get
America out of the
Depression.
• 3 parts- Relief,
Recovery, Reform
• Fireside chats- FDR’s
radio addresses about
the New Deal.
What was the Glass-Steagall
Act?
• Passed in 1933.
• Created the Federal
Deposit Insurance
Corporation.
• Protected money in
the banks.
What was the Federal Securities
Act?
• Passed in 1933.
• Required corporations
to give company and
stock information.
• Created the Securities
and Exchange
Commission.
• Regulates stock
market.
What was the Agricultural
Adjustment Act?
• AAA- raised crop
prices by lowering
farm production.
• Criticized for
slaughtered animals.
• Did help farmers.
• Eventually, found to
be unconstitutional.
What was the Tennessee Valley
Authority?
• TVA- Renovated
dams, created
thousands of jobs,
provided flood
control, hydroelectric
power to impoverished
areas.
• Still exists today
What was the Civilian
Conservation Corps?
• Passed in 1933.
• Young men ages 1825 work on building
roads, developing
parks, planting trees,
helping soil-erosion
and flood control
projects.
What was the National Industrial
Recovery Act (NIRA)?
• Passed in 1933.
• Provided money to states
to create jobs in
construction of schools
and other community
buildings.
• Created NRA which set
prices and established
standards.
• Found unconstitutional.
What was the Civil Works
Administration?
• Provided 4 million
immediate jobs in the
winter of 1933-34.
• Built 40,000 schools
and paid 50,000
school teachers.
• Built more than ½
million miles of roads.
What organizations were created
to give food, clothing, and
shelter?
• Home Owners Loan
Corporation
• Federal Housing
Authority (FHA)
• Federal Emergency
Relief Act
What were the criticisms of the
New Deal?
• Deficit spendingspending more money
than you have
• Father Charles
Coughlin- wanted a
guarantee of annual
income, controversial
• Dr. Francis TownsendWanted a plan for the
elderly
• Huey Long- Share Our
Wealth Club, “Every Man
is King”, ruthless
Father Charles Coughlin
Dr. Francis Townsend
Huey Long
Who was Eleanor Roosevelt?
• Wife of FDR and First
Lady
• Great support and
social reformer
• Supporter of equal
rights for women and
minorities.
What was the Works Progress
Administration?
• Part of Second New
Deal
• Headed by Harry
Hopkins
• Created jobs to build
airports, roads, public
buildings, murals,
write slave narratives,
and perform theater.
What was the National Youth
Administration?
• Part of Second New
Deal
• Created jobs,
education, counseling,
and recreation for
young people.
What was the Wagner Act?
• Federal government
protected the rights of
workers to join unions.
• National Labor
Relations Board- heard
about unfair business
practices.
• Fair Labor Standards
Act- Set maxim,um work
hours to 44 hours per
week. Banned hazardous
work for those under 18.
What was the Social Security
Act?
• Part of the Second New
Deal.
• Gave old age insurance
for retirees over 65 and
their spouses.
• Unemployment
compensation.
• Aid to families with
dependent children and
disabled.
Who was Frances Perkins?
• FDR’s Secretary of Labor
• First female in a
Presidential cabinet.
• 82% surveyed in 1936
said women should stay
home.
• Women faced
discrimination at work.
How did the Depression affect
African Americans?
• A. Philip Randolph- organized
Sleeping Car Porters to fight for
rights.
• Mary McLeod Bethune- hired
by FDR in NYA. Helped
provide opportunities for
minorities.
• Marian Anderson- performs at
Lincoln Memorial
• FDR made small steps, but did
not commit to civil rights
Who was John Collier?
• Created Indian
Reorganization Act of
1934.
• American Indian lands
would belong to their
tribe.
• Reservation schools
• Tribes could run their
own reservations.
What were the major movies of
the Depression Era?
•
•
•
•
•
Gone With the Wind
Wizard Of Oz
Snow White
Marx Brothers Films
Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington
• Actors James Cagney
and Clark Gable
Marx Brothers
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
What was popular on the radio?
• Radio shows
• Orson Welles and War
of the Worlds
• Lone Ranger
• Jack Benny
• Bob Hope
• Burns and Allen Show
• News
Who were the famous artists of
the Depression?
•
•
•
•
•
Diego Rivera
Edward Hopper
Grant Wood
Thomas Hart Benton
Singers Woody Guthrie
(This Land Is Your Land)
• Writers Richard Wright
(Native Son)
• John Steinbeck’s Grapes
of Wrath
Diego Rivera
Edward Hopper
Grant Wood (American Gothic)
Thomas Hart Benton
What is the impact of the New
Deal?
• Government has a
responsibility to help
people.
• Some fear the increase in
the size of government.
• Others are happy the
government has safety
nets for the people.
• Legacy of Social Security,
TVA, SEC, and NLRB in
today’s world.