Grapes Of Wrath - Context

Grapes Of Wrath - Context

1. Okies

   • The Joads
   • From Oklahoma; term encompassses more
   • Poor

2. The American Dream

   • Those who found themselves in the Dustbowl lost their American Dream
   • Land was taken away by banks so they could make some money
     • Banks planted cotton to make whatever money they could. Even if it further killed the land
     • The Land take was not just a farm for those living their, it was their homes.

3. The Dustbowl

   • In the 1930's Six Years of droughts hit the mid-west of the United States
     • Land turned into a wasteland
     • More than 5 million square miles of property were affected
     • Large Dust Storms covered entire areas in sand
   • The Joads is typical of the little farming families that were affected
     • Families had to migrate just like the Joads
     • Problem amplified due to the fact many of these families were not super educated and previoiusly lived a quiet farming life.

4. Farming in the Depression

   • The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression contribute to the "Okies"
   • World War 1
     • Closed European Markets, Stronger Internal Market for Produce
     • Farmers compelled to invest lots into land and machinery to meet demand of market

5. Hoovervilles

   • Shanty towns built by Homeless during The Great Depression
   • Named after Herbert Hoover who was president until 1933
     • He was blamed for the poor state of the country
   • After 1940 when the economy improved, they were destroyed

6. Migration

   • Franklin Roosevelt who succeeded Herbert Hoover in 1933
     • Migrant Camps
     • "The New Deal" plan to create employment and oppurtunites to help workers
   • Farm Security Administration (FSA) - creating camps in California
     • Where the Joads went to in Grapes of wrath
     • Uncomfortable, many people had to stay in them for years

7. The Great Depression

   • The Stock Market Crashed in 1929
   • Prices dropped dramatically causing banks and companies to close all around the country
     • Destroying the savings of many American families and businesses
   • Unemployment rates were exponentially rising
   • Many Americans were farmers and therefore low crop prices made it very difficult for them to buy other goods and pay back into the economy