Readings about the 1930s

Read about the Great Depression (Links to an external site.).  According to this article, what was wrong with President Hoover's response?  Why did people blame themselves when things went wrong, and how valid or invalid was this response?

President Hoover's response was wrong because he under-estimated the severity of the Great Depression and assured people it would not last as long as it did. People blamed themselves because of the strong beliefs set in the 1920s that success was earned, it was also believed that failure was deserved. This response was partially valid and partially invalid. In some ways its valid because of the issues of personal debt, but government is also to blame for stock markets crashing and bank closings.

Read about Black Sunday (Links to an external site.). How would you have felt if you'd been there on that day? What kinds of fears, concerns, or questions would be going through your mind during, and after, the event described?

    If I were there on this day I would've been terrified. i can't imagine going through a normal day and then just out of nowhere a huge black cloud appearing, hiding every bit of light. I would be confused, scared, concerned, sick to my stomach, and many more emotions. I would wonder why everything went so black. I would also worry about where my friends and family were and if they were safe.

Read about The Drought (Links to an external site.)

.  What areas were affected by it?  What caused it.  The author ends this article with a pithy quote.  Do you agree or disagree with this historian's perspective? Why or why not?

  The areas affected by the drought were in the eastern part of the country. What caused the drought was drought issues and misuse of the land that caused the devastation. I agree with this historian's perspective because the use of the land during this time period was way beyond the technology and resources we had discovered at that point.

Read about Mass Exodus from the Plains (Links to an external site.).  Were does the migration of people out of the Dust Bowl rank in terms of other migrations in US History?  What made life hard for people once they arrived in California?

   The migration of people out of the Dust Bowl was the largest migration in the history of America. Life was made harder once arrived California because they did not receive a warm welcome and there was overcrowding.