Ch. 23-The Great Depression-Lessons
The Great Depression Begins
1. To many Americans, the stock market seemed like a good way to invest money.
2. While cotton and wheat farmers struggled, the oil industry was booming.
3. When stock prices rise, investors can resell shares at a higherprice.
4. The October 29, 1929, stock market crash became known as Black Tuesday.
5. During the Great Depression, many workers lost their jobs, and businesses closed.
6. Unemployed workers did not have money to buy goods.
7. President Hoover believed that businesses should solve the problem, not the federal government.
A Boom in Oil, a Bust in Cotton Oil Industry
Oil Industry
1. Oil is discovered in East Texas.
2. New wells are drilled.
3. New, large supply of oil causes prices to drop.
4. Drillers disregard request to stop drilling.
5. Oil prices drop until laws are put into effect to control production to stabilize prices.
Cotton Industry
1. Cotton prices begin falling in the 1920s.
2. Prices continue to decline in the 1930s.
3. Farmers are asked to reduce production to increase pricing.
4. An attempt by the states to limit cotton production fails.
5. Many smaller cotton farmers lose their land to larger farms.
The Dust Bowl Devastates Plains
1. False; During World War I, there was a short supply and high demand for wheat.
2. True
3. False; Windstorms blew soil that was loose from drought.
4. False; People were affected by dust storms because the dust could seep into walls of homes.
5. False; The Dust Bowl refers to parts of Texas and some states in the southern Great Plains.
Life in Texas During the Early 1930s
1. Merchants offered credit for people to buy goods, and businesses supported food gardens to try and help those in need during the Depression.
2. Sharecroppers and tenant farmers believed the situation was not much worse than it had been in other years.
3. Many Mexican Americans went to Mexico to find work.
4. Government agencies often denied African Americans aid or gave them less money than they gave to white citizens so many of them left Texas.
Lesson 2-A New Deal
Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal
1. True
2. False; During Hoover’s presidency, economic conditions worsened.
3. False; Franklin D. Roosevelt was governor of New York and established a state agency to assist unemployed people.
4. True
5. False; Texans were strong supporters of Roosevelt.
6. False; Roosevelt’s New Deal was a series of domestic programs that would help the economy.
7. True
8. False; Garner’s nickname was “Cactus Jack.”
The Alphabet Agencies in Texas
FERA Federal Emergency Relief Administration
• Provided money to state and local agencies to distribute to the unemployed
AAA Agricultural Adjustment Act
• Established to address the problem of low crop prices
CCC Civilian Conservation Corps
• Hired young men to work on public projects
WPA Works Progress Administration
• Funded major construction projects such as bridges, dams, and schools; funded artists
PWA Public Works Administration
• Funded major construction projects such as bridges, dams, and schools
NYA National Youth Administration
• Hired students to perform office and maintenance jobs and improve highways and parks
Celebrating 100 Years of Texas
1. The Texas Centennial celebrated 100 years of Texas independence in 1936.
2. Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio competed to be the site for the celebration, and Dallas was chosen.
3. Dallas provided $8 million, and the federal and state governments each provided $3 million.
4. The money was used for construction of buildings and exhibits.
5. “Cavalcade of Texas” was the most popular exhibit, and it depicted Texas history.
6. Some of the WPA projects that still exist today are museums, statues, and historical markers, the museum at the Alamo, and the museum and monument at San Jacinto.
Lesson 3-Politics in the 1930s
Changing Issues and Governors
1. The Democratic Party was dominant in Texas for over 100 years.
2. Miriam Amanda Ferguson was elected in 1924 and 1932.
3. Ferguson promoted “bread bonds” to help feed the hungry. She also sought federal relief money for Texas.
4. Ferguson used federal relief funds to pay political supporters with money or jobs. She also fired many Texas Rangers and replaced them with political supporters.
5. James Allred reorganized the Texas Rangers and took steps to reform the prison system.
6. He set up retirement systems for teachers and state employees.
7. O’Daniel was a radio talk show host and had little political experience.
8. O’Daniel traveled across the state, quoting from the Bible, and making campaign promises.
9. O’Daniel promised to enact a pension of $30 per month for Texans over the age of 65.
10. O’Daniel vetoed programs that were important to Texans. He also appointed unqualified people to state offices.
Texas Minorities Push for Basic Rights
Minorities in Texas in the 1930s
African Americans
Voting Laws: Lawrence Nixon fought to overturn a “white primary” voting law in Texas.
Achievements: “Hall of Negro Life” building at the site of the Texas Centennial celebrating the contributions and art of African Americans
Mexican Americans
Groups:
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• Supported a lawsuit to improve conditions in schools
American Workers
• Women at Finck Cigar Company organized a strike and protested unhealthful workrooms and pay deductions.
• Emma Tenayuca Brooks led a strike at a pecan factory.
Tenant Farmers and Miners Get Little Help
Cause: New Deal programs paid landowners to reduce crop supplies.
Effect: Tenant farmers did not receive money and had no land to farm.
Cause: Oil was discovered in East Texas, and petroleum prices dropped.
Effect: The demand for coal decreased.
Cause: Coal mines closed.
Effect: Miners lost jobs and could not find new jobs.