Unemployment
What happened to many people’s jobs after the stock market crash?
Many people lost their jobs.
Why did people stand in line at soup kitchens?
Because they had no money or food to feed their families.
Who was the U.S. president when the Great Depression began (elected in 1928)?
Herbert Hoover.
What name did people give to the shantytowns where homeless people lived?
Hoovervilles.
What natural problem hit the Great Plains in the 1930s that made farming hard?
A severe drought.
About how many people, on average, lost their jobs each week during the three years after the crash?
About 100,000 people per week.
Who usually ran the soup kitchens that fed people during the Depression?
Charities and local community groups.
What did President Hoover believe should help the needy most: the federal government or private charities and local communities?
He believed private charities and local communities should help.
What was a “Hoover flag”?
Empty pockets turned inside out used to show no money.
What is a dust storm?
A storm of high winds carrying loose soil and dust.
Name two things people who still had jobs often faced during the Depression.
They often had to accept pay cuts and reduced hours (or unstable work).
What did people usually receive at a soup kitchen after waiting in line?
They provided at least one warm meal and helped people survive hunger.
Why did many people think President Hoover did not do enough during the Depression? (Give one reason.)
Many thought he did not do enough because millions remained unemployed and in poverty.
What were “Hoover blankets”?
Newspapers used as blankets.
How did the drought and dust storms affect farmland?
Dust storms stripped topsoil, leaving farmland unusable.
Give two examples of how losing jobs affected people’s lives (think housing and food).
Many lost their homes and faced poverty and hunger.
Why were soup kitchens important for families during the Great Depression?
They provided at least one warm meal and helped people survive hunger.
Describe one policy or idea Hoover supported for dealing with the Depression (use simple terms).
He promoted volunteerism and local relief rather than large federal programs.
Why did people use the name “Hooverville” for these places?
People blamed President Hoover for the economic problems and used his name to show anger.
Why did some farmers leave the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl?
Because crops failed, farms could not support families, so they moved to find work.
Explain in one sentence why less production leads companies to need fewer workers.
Because producing less means companies sell less, so they need fewer workers to make the smaller amount of goods.
Describe how visiting a soup kitchen might have felt for a person used to having enough food before the Depression.
(Sample) It might have felt humiliating, sad, and relieving at the same time because they were grateful for food but ashamed or worried about needing help.
Explain why people might blame a leader for hard times even if some problems were caused by many factors.
(Sample) People often look to leaders for quick help; when recovery was slow and many stayed poor, citizens blamed Hoover even though causes were complex.
Describe what life in a Hooverville might have been like for a child.
(Sample) Crowded, unsanitary, cold in winter, with little food or clean water — children would play in unsafe areas and families lived in makeshift shacks.
Explain one cause of the Dust Bowl and one effect it had on people who lived there.
(Sample) Cause: poor farming methods and drought. Effect: people lost farms, migrated to other states (like California), and faced hunger and poverty.