THE GREAT DEPRESSION 1929 1940
THE DUST BOWL
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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They were given temporary shelter
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They were welcomed and provided with relief funds
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They were often turned away by police as undesirables
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They were grudgingly accepted in low-income communities
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Detailed explanation-1: -And even though they were American-born, the Dust Bowl migrants still were viewed as intruders by many in California, who saw them as competing with longtime residents for work, which was hard to come by during the Great Depression. Others considered them parasites who would depend on government relief.
Detailed explanation-2: -Although the Dust Bowl included many Great Plains states, the migrants were generically known as “Okies, ” referring to the approximately 20 percent who were from Oklahoma.
Detailed explanation-3: -Almost one-quarter of the population was forced out when they lost their farms and ranches in bank foreclosures. The need to feed their children and raise them in more healthful surroundings drove many families to pack everything they owned in cars and trucks and head west. California became a popular destination.
Detailed explanation-4: -The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history. By 1940, 2.5 million people had moved out of the Plains states; of those, 200, 000 moved to California. When they reached the border, they did not receive a warm welcome as described in this 1935 excerpt from Collier’s magazine.