Name:______________________________________________ Date:________________ Class:______________

Bell Ringer: The Great Depression Begins Instructions: Examine the picture. Read the background information. Answer the Questions below.

Background: From 1929 to the 1940s, the USA faced an economic disaster. The economy became so weak that nearly 25% of the workforce became unemployed in what became called the era of the Great Depression. Above is an iconic picture taken during the Great Depression. The picture is of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in 1936. A journalist, Dorothea Lange, captured this photo as Florence and her children waited outside of a pee-pickers camp in California. Many at the camp had hoped to find work picking pees. Yet, freezing rain had recently destroyed the crops. Florence was at the area because her family’s car had broken down by the camp. This picture became widely circulated and many felt it captured the unfortunate circumstances of many in this era.

1. Who was Dorothea Lange?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What emotions did Dorothea want the viewer to feel when examining this picture she took of Florence Owens Thompson? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do you think this particular picture became so wide spread and famous during the Great Depression?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Name:________________________________________________ Date:_______________ Class:__________Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

Content Reading Guide: The Great Depression Begins

There was much prosperity in the early 1920s. Yet, as the decade came to a close, the economy became very unsettled. Many people lived beyond their means with credit in the 1920s. They bought items they did not have cash for by borrowing money from a bank. There was also an uneven distribution of wealth. The rich were becoming wealthier as the middle class became burdened with debt. Once their debt became radically difficult to manage, many Americans then began buying less because they had less money.

The Dow Jones Industry Average, a poll of the economic health of 30 large businesses in the USA, displayed prosperous times in the 1920s. There was a Bull Market for most of the 1920s, this meant there were rising stock prices and many investors were reaping profits. Many investors bought stocks on “speculation,” meaning they were hoping to make a quick profit. Some started “buying on margin.” This meant they were borrowing money to buy stocks in the hopes that, when their stocks reaped profits, they could pay back their loans.

After WW I, international demand for food was high. European nations bought a lot of food from the USA and these customers no longer needed America for food. The USA was “too productive” in farming. Farmers had so many crops that there were not enough customers to buy them. Railroads, steel, and textile factories were seeing profits fall as people began to spend less. Some government leaders felt the government should step in to intervene and try to “fix” the economy, particularly the impending problems in the farming industry. Legislators tried to pass the McNary-Haugen Bill. The plan was that the government would buy food and then sell it. President Calvin Coolidge vetoed the bill. He was a Republican who believed in a hands off “laissez faire” government and trickledown economics. He asserted the private market should work out problems without the government’s involvement. When farmers fell behind on loan payments to their banks, the banks foreclosed on many farmers and seized their property.

Stocks began to fall in value dramatically in 1929. Instead of a healthy Bull Market, the market became an unhealthy Bear Market, meaning stocks were falling in prices and investors were not reaping profits. Many people panicked and moved their money out of banks. On “Black Tuesday,” October 29, 1929, as stocks fell, many tried to sell their stock. Yet, it was too late. Virtually nobody wanted to buy the stocks. Since many investors had practiced “buying on margin” they were left in a financial mess. Now, their stocks had dropped in value and they could not pay back the money they borrowed to buy the stocks. Unemployment exploded, inflation grew, and businesses closed. By the 1930s, thousands of banks failed and had closed. If you had money in these banks, you were not guaranteed to get anything back. Many people lost all the money they had in bank accounts. 25% of the nation became unemployed. This crushed the world markets as well.

Name:_____________________________________________ Date:_______________ Class:_____________Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

The Great Depression Begins

Part A: Open Response: Instructions: For each occurrence depicted below, explain how that event helped contribute to the Great Depression.

1. Occurrence: Americans were living beyond their means with credit. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Occurrence: Europeans recovered after WW I and stopped buying American crops.

Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Occurrence: Investors started “buying on margin.” ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part B: True or False: Instructions: Circle TRUE if the sentence is true and FALSE if the sentence is false. If the sentence is false, write a one sentence description explaining why it is false.

1. After World War I, Europeans could not buy from American farmers because they were too poor. (TRUE / FALSE)___________________________________________________________________________________

2. Calvin Coolidge vetoed the McNary-Haugen Bill (TRUE / FALSE)___________________________________________________________________________________

3. 50% of Americans became unemployed during the Great Depression (TRUE / FALSE)___________________________________________________________________________________

Part C: Word Search: Instructions: First, fill in the blanks below with the terms that complete the sentences. Second, find the term in the word search below.

Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

1. When the stock market is doing poorly and investors are not making money, there is a _________ Market.

2. On __________Tuesday, the Stock Market crashed. 3. When the stock market is healthy and investors are making profits, there is a

_________Market. 4. On October 29th, 1929, the Stock Market ____________ damaged the USA economy. 5. When farmers could not pay back their loans, the banks ______________ on their farms. 6. The Dow Jones _________________ Average is a poll of the health of 30 large businesses

in the USA. 7. Buying on _________________ is when an investor borrows money to invest. 8. Calvin Coolidge was in the ___________________ Party. 9. When you buy stocks hoping to get a quick profit, you are buying on ________________. 10. 25% of the nation became ______________________ during the Great Depression.

Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.