Grapes Of Wrath - Context

Okies
1. The Joads
2. From Oklahoma; term encompassses more
3. Poor
The American Dream
1. Those who found themselves in the Dustbowl lost their American Dream
2. Land was taken away by banks so they could make some money
  1. Banks planted cotton to make whatever money they could. Even if it further killed the land
  2. The Land take was not just a farm for those living their, it was their homes.
The Dustbowl
1. In the 1930's Six Years of droughts hit the mid-west of the United States
  1. Land turned into a wasteland
  2. More than 5 million square miles of property were affected
  3. Large Dust Storms covered entire areas in sand
2. The Joads is typical of the little farming families that were affected
  1. Families had to migrate just like the Joads
  2. Problem amplified due to the fact many of these families were not super educated and previoiusly lived a quiet farming life.
Farming in the Depression
1. The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression contribute to the "Okies"
2. World War 1
  1. Closed European Markets, Stronger Internal Market for Produce
  2. Farmers compelled to invest lots into land and machinery to meet demand of market
Hoovervilles
1. Shanty towns built by Homeless during The Great Depression
2. Named after Herbert Hoover who was president until 1933
  1. He was blamed for the poor state of the country
3. After 1940 when the economy improved, they were destroyed
Migration
1. Franklin Roosevelt who succeeded Herbert Hoover in 1933
  1. Migrant Camps
  2. "The New Deal" plan to create employment and oppurtunites to help workers
2. Farm Security Administration (FSA) - creating camps in California
  1. Where the Joads went to in Grapes of wrath
  2. Uncomfortable, many people had to stay in them for years
The Great Depression
1. The Stock Market Crashed in 1929
2. Prices dropped dramatically causing banks and companies to close all around the country
  1. Destroying the savings of many American families and businesses
3. Unemployment rates were exponentially rising
4. 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

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Grapes Of Wrath - Context

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	Created by Joshua Sawyer about 6 years ago