Monday- Discussed forum posts. Reviewed for the test tomorrow. Discussed today's politics. We finished the mock vote.
Tuesday- Took the 1920's test
Wednesday- Started the 1930's section.
Causes of the Great Depression-
- Overproduction of goods
- Under consumption of goods by consumers
- Agricultural slump in 1920's due to overproduction
- High protective tariff policies of the 1920's
- Taxes benefiting the rich- rich got richer, poor got poorer
- Stock market crash
- Banks closing (cause and effect)
The Vicious Cycle of the Great Depression
- Companies lose $$ so they lay people off
- Unemployment rate goes up and less people buy goods as income has dropped
- Companies profits fall so they have to lay more people off or close
- Cycle repeats itself
Thursday- Continued discussion over the 30's
Hoovervilles
- Little houses built out of plywood and tin (basically whatever they could find)
- Named "Hoovervilles" to basically slap him in the face and blame it on him
Breadlines
- Long lines for people waiting for bread (occasionally coffee or donuts)
- People were embarrassed to go and accept handouts
Soup Kitchens
- Free food for people who couldn't afford food
- Rich Americans, churches, Red Cross put these kitchens on
Hoboes Hopping Freight Trains-
- Teens felt like a burden to their family so they left
Selling Apples-
- People would come in with a bunch of apples and people would come up with their little carts and buy them for about a penny
- They would then sell it for about 2 to 3 cents an apple
Dust Bowl-
- Happened in 1935
- In WWI farmers were told to produce more so they plowed up the fields (the Great Plains have extremely hard ground)
- In the mid-30's the weather was extremely dry. They weren't rotating crops and not turning the soil. Due to this there was massive soil erosion
Hoover-
- Based on our previous discussion, why do you think President Hoover struggled dealing with the Great Depression?
- Rugged Individualism
- Didn't take it seriously enough
- Didn't believe in the handout
- High Tariff Policy
- Tax breaks to the rich (Trickle down theory)
- Seemed like he didn't care (which wasn't true)
- What did he do for the Depression?
- Encouraged people to be patient, stay positive and volunteer to help each other
- Federal Farm Board
- Stabilize prices and to promote the sale of agricultural products
- Norris-La Guardia Act
- Strengthened labor unions
Friday- Continued 30's discussion
- Hoover Moratorium
- One year halt on German war payments to France
- One year halt on war payments from Great Britain and France to the US
- Mexican Repatriation
- Mexican immigrants were encouraged/ forced to go back to Mexico
- Revenue Act of 1932
- Increased taxes so US government had $$
- Hawley-Smoot Tariff
- Raised tariffs to record levels
- Reconstruction Finance Corporation
- Gave loans to banks, state and local governments, and business' to create projects/jobs for people
- Gave state loans for emergency relief needs
- Started under Hoover
- Not as successful as Hoover had hoped
- Dissolved in 1946 after WWII
- Hoover Dam
- Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) is located near Las Vegas
- The Hoover Dam project including the dam, the All-American Canal, the town of Boulder City, highways, railroads and various other works, cost $165 million to build
- Why do you think there were a lot of dam projects in the 1930's?
- Creates jobs
- Creates energy (government plans to sell the energy)
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