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President Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

Herbert Hoover was America's 31st president (1929-1933). He unfortunately took office just months before the country plummeted into the Great Depression. Even though he won 40 states in the general election, he quickly lost a lot of popularity due to the economic crisis that unfolded over the course of his term.

Americans criticized President Hoover for not doing nearly enough to help them.

• Unemployment rose from 3.2% in 1929 to 24.9% by 1933
• Tariff Act of 1930 does not help
• Hoover vetoed bills that would have provided more direct relief to struggling Americans

Hoover’s inability to really help the economic crisis was what made him so unpopular amongst American's affected by the Depression. He was constrained by his conservative political opinions. He believed in a limited role for government and felt that reinforcement should be handled on a local, voluntary basis. 

"Hoovervilles" created by Americans living in the most extreme poverty. 

When Franklin D. Roosevelt soundly defeated Hoover in the following election, many of the bills that Hoover originally vetoed were actually adopted and expanded upon by FDR in his New Deal. After his presidency, Hoover criticized FDR and the New Deal programs. He warned about the dangers of investing too much power in the federal government. Still, Roosevelt not only got Americans to believe in his efforts to restore the economy, but he even rallied Americans to get back to work. The CCC is a famous example of his efforts to literally get American boys "back to work."

The role of Eleanor Roosevelt

The Roosevelts entered the White House during one of the darkest times in American history-The Great Depression. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Congress began initiating a new series of recovery initiative plans known as the "New Deal". However, change did not happen over night, and many American people were struggling to just stay alive during this crisis. FDR realized that the people needed reassurance that things were going to be okay. It was then that First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, took it upon herself to travel across the country as the eyes and ears for her husband.

Eleanor Roosevelt spent her time traveling the country speaking for the civil rights of African Americans, American Workers, the poor, and women in particular. Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged women to help pull the country through the economic crisis: "The women know that life must go on and that the needs of life must be met and it is their courage and determination which, time and again, have pulled us through worse crises than the present one." Eleanor Roosevelt held hundred of press conferences for female reporters only in a time when female reporters were typically barred from White House press conferences.

Through this, she encouraged women to make do by substituting things that had previously been bought with cash with their own labor. They would have to make petty economic decisions like buying day-old bread and heating dishes in the oven to save gas. Eleanor's speeches and her sense of caring gave hope to women in America during this difficult time. Through Eleanor Roosevelt's help, many families were able to survive the depression and remain hopeful that life would improve.

FDR and The New Deal

   

During one of the most turmoil filled time periods in our nations history, the people of America searched for answers that simply was not being accomplished by president Hoover. When Franklin D. Roosvelt so famously stated "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" he brought a calming presence among the american public. He later went on to announce a "Bank Holiday" that would last four days which meant that all banks would close so that congress could reform legislation during that time period. Lastly, Roosvelt wanted to reform the financial system and in doing so he created the FDIC also known as Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which allowed the depositer's accoutns to be safe; he also created the SEC which regulated the stock market in hope that it would prevent another stock market crash in the future.

Fireside Chats

Roosvelt ran a series of his famous "Fireside Chats" which addressed the public and boosted confidence of Americans. The topics that he discussed ranged from banking all the way to the opposition of fascism in Europe. The public interactions strongly effected the views that the public had on FDR as they were seemingly brought together by a calmness that made people think that everything was going to be okay. 

Stock Market Crashes

Stock Market Crashes
To start of the Great Depression marking the end of six years of supreme prosperity for most areas of the American economy. On October 24 what is known as Black Thursday the stock prices plummet causing panic. Following this people are try to sell their stock for any price they can get. By October 29 Black Tuesday is in full swing. The stocks have completely collapsed and banks are begging for loans as a bail out. An estimated $30 billion in stock values have disappeared by the middle of November.

The Stock Market Crashing has a direct impact on employment. After this there are over 3.2 million people unemployed. When before the Stock Market there was only 1.5 million during October. Of Course President Hoover remains optimistic. Ignoring the thousands of people living in Hoovervilles stating that "all the evidences indicates that the worst effects of the crash upon unemployment will have passed during the next 60 days."

So How Did This Happen?

-The market was over valued and over brought

-It kept rising although the economic conditions were not supporting it

-Investors tried stabilizing the market by buying blocks of stock but in the end it did not work

This then produced the beginning of the Great Depression

By Joseph Stingo

The Dust Bowl

The Dirty Thirties

The Dust Bowl was a terrible time during the depression, to which, there was a significant drought.  At the time, there wasn't much agricultural education on dryland farming, so the adolescent southerners migrating west just didn't actually do it.  This then resulted in a significant amount of wind erosion to the soil which caused "black blizzards" or significant clouds of dust that would coat the region in a beach like coating.  

Since this dust bowl then destroyed most families livelihoods, it thus created a displacement of people.  Most of the "Okie" families that were affected by such, then migrated to California or to a northern part of the country where they wouldn't have to rely so heavily on rain.

So how did this happen?

• Homestead Act 1860
• Encouraged people to head West and become farmers for 160 acres of land
• In return, it'd be a small yearly fee but after five years of continuous residency, the land was theirs
• Kinkaid Act 1904
• Amended the Homestead Act so that settlers of Nebraska were now offered 640 acres
• Enlarged Homestead Act 1909
• This then amended the Homestead Act again so that it was doubled for all of the southwest so that it went from 160 to 320 acres per settler
• Over farming from those three acts
• Ill-education
• Bad luck

With the overall agricultural aspect of the United States suddenly vanished, this then significantly contributed to the overall length of the Great Depression.