Multiple factors led to the Great Depression, including the U.S. stock market crash in October 1929 and the widespread failure of the American banking system, both of which helped destroy confidence in the nations economy. Public reaction to the Hoovervilles added to President Hoovers general unpopularity, leading to his landslide defeat by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. By the spring of 1932, when it could have most helped ease the Depression, Americas revenue from world trade was reduced by more than half. Excerpt from Health Department Annual Report (1935) Second New Deal Purpose & Programs | What was the Second New Deal? By the middle of 1941, Roosevelts New Deal programs had increased employment to the point that all but a few Hoovervilles had been abandoned and demolished. Twelve million Americans, about 25% of the normal labor force, were out of work and many suffered poverty, deprivation and homelessness. Some claim to have been made up of men, women, and children, while others claim to only have had men. However, most buildings were little more than crude shelters thrown together from wooden crates, cardboard boxes, tar paper, scrap metal, and other fire-prone discarded materials. Around 15,000 men joined the movement, many of whom came from far away and arrived in the area by illegally riding on railroad freight trains. When a new mayor took office in 1932, owing his election in part to support of the Unemployed Citizen's League, Seattle's Hooverville gained a measure of official tolerance that allowed it to survive and grow. He was proud of the self-built community, saying "Hooverville is the abode of the forgotten man." Come learn about Hoovervilles, how they got their name, and. One of the important events during his presidency was the emergence of the Shanty Town during the Great Depression. One-fourth of all workers were unemployed. Including the veterans, their families, and other supporters, the crowd of protesters eventually grew to nearly 45,000 people. Roosevelt promised to improve the country with a "new deal for the American people." All the Hoovervilles were 'eradicated' at the end of the Great Depression in 1941. Central Park Hooverville with Central Park West in the Background in 1932. Hoovervilles, or shantytowns, became a common sight. The decision led to the establishment of the Shack Elimination Committee by the City Council. The Great Depression was the most severe and enduring economic collapse of the 20th century, and included abrupt declines in the supply and demand of goods and services along with a meteoric rise in unemployment. Politicians continued drinking as everyday people were slapped with charges. The Great Depression drew to an end with the outbreak of WW2 and municipal programs aimed at "eradicating" shantytowns destroyed all the Hoovervilles. The rectangular reservoir north of Belvedere Castle was taken out of service when the stock market crashed in 1929. When the government failed to provide relief, President Herbert Hoover was blamed for the intolerable economic and social conditions, so the shantytowns that cropped up became known as Hoovervilles. 2 See answers Advertisement jayilych4real "; In his journal, he states that of the 639 residents of the town, only 7 of them were women. Many people turned to farming, and grew the food themselves, like fruits, vegetables, cattle, chickens, sheep, and hogs. The term itself was first used in 1930 by Charles Michelson, the Publicity Chief of the Democratic National Committee when he published an article in the New York Times referring to a homeless camp in Chicago, Illinois, as Hooverville. Before long, the term was in common use. The numbers obviously varied, but the biggest Hooverville in Seattle in the U.S. state of Washington served as the home to 1200 people. Hoovervilles lacked the services found in typical towns. Even during the worst of the Depression, most Hooverville residents continued to seek employment, often taking backbreaking seasonal jobs like picking and packing field crops. They are crowded, dirty, miserable, and they are places where the homeless gather to build temporary homes. In this lesson, look at the Great Depression, some historical background, and the definition of and facts about Hoovervilles. Erected by unemployed lumberjacks on the tidal flats of the Port of Seattle, the encampment covered nine acres and grew to house up to 1,200 people. READ MORE:Life for the Average Family During the Great Depression, In addition to the term Hooverville, President Hoovers name was used derisively in other ways during the Great Depression. Migrant workers and immigrants greatly suffered from the lack of work and made up a large portion of the Hoovervilles across the country.[2]. Link will appear as Hooverville Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 18, 2018. These settlements were often trespassing on private lands, but they were frequently tolerated or ignored out of necessity. Hoovervilles and Homelessness. [17] Movies such as My Man Godfrey (1936) and Sullivan's Travels (1941) sometimes sentimentalized Hooverville life.[18]. Seattle's Hooverville had lasted a full decade.[4]. Letter from Housing Authority to City Council (March 4, 1941) Absolutely anything that would provide shelter. However, some countries retaliated by raising their tariffs, and international trade was hampered. I highly recommend you use this site! "Hooverville" became a common term for shacktowns and homeless encampments during the Great Depression. Americas longest lasting Hooverville in Seattle, Washington, stood for ten years, from 1931 to 1941. A "Hoover flag" was an empty pocket turned inside out and "Hoover leather" was cardboard used to line a shoe when the sole wore through. This Hooverville thrived because it was funded by private donations. Did New Deal Programs Help End the Great Depression? But residents rebuilt and the site remained occupied all the way through World War II. What were the Hoovervilles (Shanty Town) of the Great Depression? The term was a derogatory reference to President Herbert Hoover, who many people blamed for allowing the U.S. to fall into economic despair. Exhibt A: Map of Number and Distribution of Shacks (March 5, 1941) Homelessness followed quickly from joblessness once the economy began to crumble in the early 1930s. Trade your paper with a Partner. The shanty town was so big that people established their own community government and elected a 'mayor' as their leader to settle any disputes. For webquest or practice, print a copy of this quiz at the Great Depression - Hoovervilles webquest print page. Browse hooverville resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources. 01 of 10 First Quaker President Hoover was the son of a blacksmith, Jesse Clark Hoover, and a Quaker minister, Huldah Minthorn Hoover. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Thousands of World War I veterans, calling themselves the Bonus Army, had arrived in the nation's capital to demand early payment of a bonus they had been promised at the end of the war. It is a city built on hills and around water, in a mild marine climate that encourages prolific . Hoovervilles were hundreds of makeshift homeless encampments built near large cities across the United States during the Great Depression (1929-1933). Seattle's Hooverville and its residents were portrayed as violent, exotic, and separate from the rest of Seattle, obscuring the social accomplishments and self-organization of shantytown residents. Roy lived in the Hooverville in spring 1934 while conducting this survey which became his 1935 MA thesis. A "Hooverville" was a shanty town built during the Great Depression by the homeless in the United States. Courtesy Tacoma Public Library. According to Roy, there was tolerance and friendship among ethnic groups and nationalities because racial barriers did not exist. In turn, a new lexicon came into being -- words like "Hoovervilles," "Hoover blankets" and "Hoover hogs." But they eventually returned because they had nowhere else to go, and they were soon allowed to stay, owing to public sympathy. Seattle police twice burned the early Hooverville, but each time residents rebuilt. "Hoovervilles" were hundreds of crude campgrounds built across the United States by poverty stricken people who had lost their homes because of the Great Depression of the 1930s. They cut down dramatically on their purchases, but less buying meant fewer goods needed, so companies didn't need so many employees. However, their request was denied by Congress and Hoover ordered them evicted. The new population was forced to set up makeshift "towns" known as "Hoovervilles." 16. President Herbert Hoover lost the election in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hoover also didn't think it would work and that a crisis such as this one would have to blow over on its own. 10 Facts About the Great Depression. "Hooverville" became a common term for shacktowns and homeless encampments during the Great Depression. This pattern became associated with Oklahoma because that state provided a plurality of migrants from 1935 to 1940, the peak of the phenomenon. Excerpt from "Seattle's Hooverville" by Leslie D. Erb (1935), [1] Donald Francis Roy, "Hooverville: A Study of a Community of Homeless Men in Seattle," (M.A. Though Hoover later agreed that MacArthur had used excessive force, irreparable damage to his presidency and legacy had been done. This was handled by an elected Vigilance Committee-- consisting of two whites, two blacks, and two Filipinos-- led by a white Texas native and former lumberjack named Jesse Jackson, who came to be known as the unofficial "Mayor" of Hooverville. We are grateful to the Seattle Municipal Archives, King County Archives, and the University of Washington Library Special Collections for permission to incorporate materials in their collections. Protest against Hooverville evictions (October 10, 1938) Anyone who has seen the famous old Civil War movie ' Gone with the Wind' might remember the Shanty Town on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia that was occupied by freed slaves and poor whites. The first nine years of the so-called Roaring Twenties had been a decade of prosperity and optimism in the United States. Hundreds of Hoovervilles were established across the country during the 1930s. Many felt that the government had to help those who lost work in the 1930s. During the Great Depression, Hoovervilles provided shelter to many of the homeless population of America. Interesting Facts About Hoovervilles During the Great Depression The Bonus Army of veterans built a large Hooverville in Washington D.C. that housed around 15,000 people. [1] There were hundreds of Hoovervilles across the country during the 1930s.[2]. Petition for community bath houses in Hooverville (May 15, 1935) Life for the Average Family During the Great Depression. Follow the Great Depression Project/ Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project on Facebook. Some shelters were little more than holes in the ground covered with tin or cardboard. Ultimately, they were a bitterly ironic symbol of the suffering inherent in the worst economic crisis in U.S. History. Homeowners lost their property when they could not pay mortgages or pay taxes. St. Louis Hooverville, built in 1930, had its own unofficial mayor, churches and social institutions. Most were white with the majority of them foreign-born, especially Scandinavians. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. As high winds and choking dust swept the region from Texas to Nebraska, people and livestock were killed and read more, The New Deal was a series of programs and projects instituted during the Great Depression by President Franklin D. 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