pea pickers camp nipomo, ca (1936) the great depression hoovervilles bonus army
TRANSCRIPT
Pea Pickers Camp Nipomo, CA
(1936)
The Great Depression
Hoovervilles
Bonus Army
Police stand guard outside the entrance to a closed New York City bank, March 20, 1931
Unemployed workers in front of a shack with a Christmas tree, New York City, December 1937
A man on the streets killing a turtle to make
soup, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1939.
Hard Times
Fathers and some children left home to find work.
Families in Crisis
Marriage and birth rates dropped.
A family evicted with belongings on
the street, 1929.
These shacks were known as Hoovervilles.
Seattle, Washington
Homelessness
Homeless families build shacks out of wooden crates and scrap metal.
Central Park, New York City
New York City, 1930
“House of Unemployed”
Christmas Day Breadlines in New York City, 1931
In 1932, over 20,000 jobless veterans protested in Washington, D.C. demanding immediate payment.
World War I veterans were due to be paid a bonus in 1945.
The Bonus Army
Handpainted sign on Bonus Army truck states: "We Done a Good Job in France, Now You Do a Good Job in America"
Tanks and cavalry prepare to evacuate the Bonus Army
The Army burned several camps to the ground after routing thousands of protestors that were camped out in the national capital with tanks, tear gas, and
troops of armed soldiers.
Questions
1. How did people who became poor during the Depression cope with the problems presented by their poverty?
2. Describe what a "Hooverville" is. Why is this the name they used and was it the right name in your opinion?
3. In your opinion, what should Hoover have done in regards to the Bonus Army?
4. How does the Great Depression of 1929 compare with the troubles of today?