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Overarching Lesson
The Dust Bowl is important to American History because it increased the already devastating effects of the Great Depression. This pushed those impacted by the Dust Bowl to migrate and pursue Manifest Destiny to live in better conditions. -
The Start of the Dust Bowl
With the crash of the stock market and severe drought throughout the Midwest and Great Plains, this showed that things were about to get worse for Americans. The drought caused the plants to be uprooted and soil to be destroyed. This led to the start of many dust storms and terrible conditions across Middle America. -
The President Takes Action
After President Roosevelt takes office, he declares a four-day bank holiday to try and restore faith in the banking system. Congress comes up with the Emergency Banking Act of 1933 which puts the federal government behind the banks allowing it to stabilize. -
The Government Offers Help to Farmers
The Emergency Farm Mortgage grants 200 million dollars to help farmers who are facing foreclosure due to the dust storms. This allowed many to take their families and pursue manifest destiny to live in better conditions and settle down elsewhere, mainly along the west coast of America. -
Even More Aid for Struggling Farmers
The president signs the Taylor Grazing Act which buys over 140 million acres from failing farmers. This is an effort made by the New Deal but cannot fix the damage done to the land for now. The government buying the land puts money in the farmers pockets and allows them to pursue manifest destiny. -
Farmers Forced to Sell their Cattle
The DRS offers farmers to buy their cattle for 14-20 dollars a head. The cattle bought allows food for families struggling during the Great Depression. This was also a gift for farmers who were failing and could not take care of their cattle, putting some money in their pocket to help them find a better life westward. -
Dust Bowl Health Crisis Source
This newspaper clipping (Primary Source) talks about the devastating health effects that the Dust Bowl caused. The clipping talks about how the Dust Bowl caused Pneumonia and how emergency hospitals have been set up to help treat those who were ill. The red cross was asked to provide over 10,000 masks just so people didn't inhale the dust. This shows how the effects of the dust bowl caused people to pursue manifest destiny and find a new home with better living conditions. -
Affects of the Dust Bowl Reduced with the Help of FDR
FDR’s Shelterbelt Project is underway as many trees are planted across the areas affected by the dust storms to help ease the eroded soil. Many who help plant these trees are future farmers and this allows for more job opportunities as they learn safe soil practices which greatly benefit the economy. -
Rain Rain Come this Way!
During fall, the rain finally comes to the great plains putting an end to the Dust Bowl after almost a decade. The country is also recovering from the great depression and the plains are restored with crops. -
Bibliography Continued
History.com Factcheckers. “Dust Bowl: Causes, Definition & Years - History - History.” Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/dust-bowl. PBS Factcheckers. “Timeline: The Dust Bowl.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service. Accessed March 17, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/dust-bowl-surviving-dust-bowl/. -
Bibliography
Britannica Encyclopedia fact checkers. “Dust Bowl.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. Accessed March 17, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/Dust-Bowl. “Dust Pneumonia Becomes Prevalent in the Dust Bowl; Red Cross Urges Use of Respirator Masks.” Newspapers.com, April 27, 1935. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23878025/dust-pneumonia-becomes-prevalent-in-the/.