Miami Central Senior High School
Student Holiday Packet
U.S. History
U.S. History Holiday Packet
This homework assignment is worth 50 points and is due your first day back from break.
The Depression was a national nightmare. Tens of thousands of businesses failed. Half a million farmers lost their farms. ¼ of American banks (9,000 banks) failed and $140 billion of dollars disappeared through bank failures. More than 10 million people were unemployed. There was no “safety net” as we have today—there was no federal system of unemployment relief or payment, retirement benefits, or bank deposit insurance. People who had been working tirelessly for years might lose their jobs and saving, then lose their home, and finally find themselves on the street begging for food. Many Americans were hungry and children were malnourished. Millions of Americans depended on the soup kitchen and breadlines provided by local charities for their daily survival. Ironically, this widespread hunger occurred at a time when farmer were unable to sell their food crops and were going bankrupt in the thousands.
In your own words how did people in the cities and rural areas suffer during the Great Depression?______
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Using the graph, what conclusion can you come up with about the Great depression?
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According to the graph, after 1933 what year was the best for the economy? ______
President Hoover Fails to Halt (stop) the Depression
Conservative economists, following laissez-faire principles, advised Hoover not to interfere directly in the economy. Hoover did not think it was the federal government’s job to interfere in the economy and he feared that federal aid would weaken the individual character of the government.Instead, Hoover believed that emergency relief for the needy should come from private charities and volunteers.Hoover believed the market simply needed time to repair itself. His predictions were wrong as the Depression got worse month after month so eventually Hoover started taking more active steps to help the economy. He cut taxes and increased federal spending on public works (like Hoover Dam) by almost $1 billion. Furthermore, he gave emergency loans to banks and businesses so they would not go bankrupt.Hoover rejected, however, the idea that the federal government should provide direct payment to the unemployed and the needy.
Explain how did Hoover address the depression at the beginning and how did he change his policies late? ______
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To make matter worse, a series of droughts in the early 1930s dried up crops and topsoil, turning the soil into dust. The farmers on the Great Plains had to deal with this environmental disaster known as the “Dust Bowl.” The strong winds of the Great Plains then swept this dust eastwards. Blizzards of dust fell from the sky, choking farmers and livestock. Farmers had to abandon their farms.
Below is a table concerning farmers and production of wheat before and during the Dust Bowl.
Kansas / 1930 / 1931 / 1932 / 1933 / 1934 / 1935 / 1936Inches in precipitation / 24.3 / 12.5 / 16.5 / 11.2 / 11.0 / 12.0 / 12.8
Yield/production in bushels / 1,712,800 / 3,448,975 / 332,864 / 89,500 / 394,985 / 189,560 / 171,075
Market value of wheat / $1,061,936 / $1,034,693 / $99,859 / $71,600 / $343, 637 / $181,978 / $181,340
Total farm income / $1,411,028 / $1,279,355 / $330,436 / $420,105 / $513,390 / $549,757 / $421,244
Rainfall in 1930 was about average. How would you describe the succeeding years?
Describe the effects you would expect in an agricultural region base on the rainfall change.
Compare the yield or production of 1930 and 1931:
Compare the total farm income between 1930 and 1931:
Give an explanation of why a higher yield production may not lead to higher total farm income?
Public Frustration Grows
American’s found Hoover’s lack of leadership frustrating. The shantytowns of homeless people that sprang up on the outskirts of cities were called “Hoovervilles.” Some people protested against the federal government’s inaction. Furthermore, about 40,000 unemployed veterans and their families-former members of the American Expeditionary Force (soldiers) during World War I- camped out in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1932, hoping to persuade Congress to grant them a promised payment. Fearing a possible riot, President Hoover used the army to disperse the soldiers, which he called the “Bonus Expeditionary Force”. Hoover’s actions further infuriated (angered) citizens. Not surprisingly, just a few months later Democratic candidate Franklin. D. Roosevelt defeated Hoover in a landslide election in November of 1932. Roosevelt promised Americans a “New Deal.”
Why do you think that President Hoover responded like he did? What ideas was he following?
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With problems facing Americans around the country, many looked at the new President Franklin D. Roosevelt for help. Roosevelt hired a plethora (a lot) of talented advisors to form groups who would create many new programs, these programs eventually became known as the New Deal. Part of the reason many trusted Roosevelt was because he was an excellent speaker and communicator. Roosevelt is highly remembered for his fireside chats, where he would talk about the state of the nation along with his policies through informal radio addresses. These chats phrased to emphasize optimism, unity, and respect.
Holiday Packet: Alphabet Soup of the New Deal
Roosevelt created so many agencies during his first term that they became known as “alphabet soup” because of all the acronyms that came about. His three goals for the New Deal were “Relief, Recovery, and Reform. Using Chapters 9 and 10 in your book (accessible through your student portal), identify, define, and explain the purpose of each of the Alphabet Agencies created by the New Deal. Make sure that you use complete sentences, and do not simply copy the answers out of the book. You may also use online resources, but again, make sure not to just copy
Alphabet Agency / Full Name / Purpose / Function of the Program / Did it work? Did it achieve its initial goal? Explain.N.R.A
W.P.A
C.C.C
S.E.C
Social Security
F.D.I.C
T.V.A
A.A.A
N.I.R.A