Chapter 1: The Great Depression Strikes Pennsylvania Chapter 2: Political Change and the New Deal Coalition Chapter 3: The New Deal in Pennsylvania: Public Works and Organized Labor Chapter 4: Popular Culture and Society in the 1930s Learn More Story Details Historical Markers In the Story Original Documents Story Credits Story Bibliography This pattern became associated with Oklahoma because that state provided a plurality of migrants from 1935 to 1940, the peak of the phenomenon. This worksheet can be edited by Premium members using the free Google Slides online software. Roys 1934 census provides a breakdown of the population by ethnicity and nationality. However, Hoovervilles were typically grim and unsanitary. This Hooverville thrived because it was funded by private donations. This drain reservoir became the site of an informal camp established by a few homeless people, but they were quickly evicted. months[3] = "Check out the interesting and diverse websites produced and created by the international publisher in the Siteseen network. Additionally, although the 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties, had been a decade of prosperity, income levels varied widely and numerous Americans lived beyond their means. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 The numbers, as mind-boggling as they are, tend not to reflect the actual state of suffering caused by the greatest economic catastrophe in U.S. history. The largest Hooverville, located in St. Louis, Missouri, was home to as many as 8,000 homeless people from 1930 to 1936. He wrote that the racial barriers constructed in normal society did not stand within the Hooverville. The Shanty Town was not new to America. Tacoma hosted a large encampment near the city garbage dump that residents called "Hollywood-on-the-Tideflats." In some cases, unemployed skilled construction workers used stones and bricks from demolished buildings to build fairly solid houses. The nickname 'Hooverville' was given to the shanty towns that sprang up across the nation during the Great Depression. On two occasions, the Seattle Health Department ordered the residents to leave and burned their shanties when they refused. Roy found the relaxed social atmosphere remarkable, describing "an ethnic rainbow" where men of many colors intermingled "in shabby comraderie. Between 1929 and 1932, the value of world trade declined by more than half. [1] There were hundreds of Hoovervilles across the country during the 1930s.[2]. Some Hoovervilles were dotted with vegetable gardens, and some individual shacks contained furniture a family had managed to carry away upon eviction from their former home. One-fourth of all workers were unemployed. The easiest way to travel across the country was by train and Shantytowns, nicknamed 'Hobo Jungles' sprang up by most city railroad stations. "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. Will Work ForAnything. In 1934, Roy recorded a population of non-White people, including Black men, Costa Rican, Chilean, Filipino, Japanese, Mexican, and. No two He counted 639 residents in March of that year, all but seven of them men. Hooverville was a small town founded by homeless people in the United States during the Great Depression. It maintained itself as a free-standing community until 1936, when it was razed. These settlements were often trespassing on private lands, but they were frequently tolerated or ignored out of necessity. [4] Most of these unemployed residents of the Hoovervilles relied on public charities or begged for food from those who had housing during this era. The term was coined by the publicity director of the Democratic National Committee in 1930. The term was a derogatory reference to President Herbert Hoover, who many people blamed for allowing the U.S. to fall into economic despair. Report of Shack Elimination Committee (April 14, 1941) "; His records show populations of Japanese, Mexican, Filipino, Native American, Costa Rican, Chilean, and Black men. Excerpt from Health Department Annual Report (1935) Around 11,000 banks failed during the Great Depression, leaving many with no savings. A "Hoover wagon" was an automobile with horses hitched to it, often with the engine removed. These areas were frequently on private lands, but the trespassing settlements were simply ignored as the crisis demanded. 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. 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. These communities of shacks or shanties were called Hoovervilles, after President Hoover, who refused to help the growing number of homeless. 19. While private and corporate philanthropy provided some assistance during the early 1930s, poverty continued to increase rapidly. Write THREE true facts about this topic and ONE lie about this topic in the boxes below2. [2] Among the white population, nationalities included English, Irish, Polish, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. The large camps were set up on the worst type of unused or public land often on the outskirts of towns and cities. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you 01 of 10 First Quaker President Hoover was the son of a blacksmith, Jesse Clark Hoover, and a Quaker minister, Huldah Minthorn Hoover. According to Roy, there was tolerance and friendship among ethnic groups and nationalities because racial barriers did not exist. Click to see google map of shack towns in Seattle area and more photos and descriptions.In Seattle shacks appeared in many locations in 1930 and 1931, but authorities usually destroyed them after neighbors complained. Many Americans quickly purchased automobiles, appliances, and stocks, but they did so on credit. People experiencing homelessness made them from scraps of wood, tin, tar, and cardboard, and named . Sign Me Up. "; "Hooverville" was a deliberately politicized label, emphasizing that President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Party were to be held responsible for the economic crisis and its miseries. They were built by unemployed impoverished Americans that had been made homeless and had nowhere else to live. Hundreds of Hooverville settlements were built across the United States, but some stood out. A request from the city was that women and children would not be allowed to live in the shantytown. Some Hoovervilles even received assistance from churches and private donors. In Seattle, Washington, stood one of the country's largest, longest-lasting, and best-documented Hoovervilles, standing for ten years between 1931 and 1941.Though several were located about the city, this Hooverville was on the tidal flats adjacent to the Port of Seattle. Courtesy Tacoma Public Library. Homelessness followed quickly from joblessness once the economy began to crumble in the early 1930s. Twelve million Americans, about 25% of the normal labor force, were out of work and many suffered poverty, deprivation and homelessness. KidsKonnect uses a secure SSL connection to encrypt your data and we only work with trusted payment processors Stripe and PayPal. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). Herbert Hoover was a rising star of American politics when he won the presidential election of 1928. Hoover was largely blamed for the ineffective federal role to that point, and Americans were largely thankful to see their government trying any policy. Hooverville was the popular name attributed to shanty towns that sprung up throughout the United States during the Great Depression. The Seattle City Council decided to close Hooverville in May 1941, despite the increased reliance on it for shelter. Encampments and shantytowns often referred to as tent citieswith similarities to Hoovervillesbegan appearing in parts of California, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, Washington and other states. The nation turned to Herbert Hoover expecting help, but he had none to give. [6], After 1940, the economy recovered, unemployment fell, and shanty housing eradication programs destroyed all the Hoovervilles. read more, The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a work relief program that gave millions of young men employment on environmental projects during the Great Depression. Pre-K - K; 1 - 2; 3 - 5; . Response from Health Department (May 23, 1935) Click here to see more photographs of Hoovervilles and homeless encampments in Seattle and Tacoma. The first nine years of the so-called Roaring Twenties had been a decade of prosperity and optimism in the United States. Some people . 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Usually built on vacant land, the camps were largely tolerated by city authorities. A Brief Look at the U.S. Department of Labor. It was headed by the Commissioner of Health, the Superintendent of Buildings, the Chief of Police, and the Chief of the Fire Department, tasked to draft a plan on how to proceed with the elimination of Hooverville. This lack of organization has made it difficult to identify the populations within Hoovervilles. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis: Chapters 1-5 | Summary & Analysis, Themes in Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis | Examples & Analysis, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis | Summary & Characters of Bud, Not Buddy, Bud's Rules in Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis | Significance & Analysis, Vietnamization Policy & Significance | Nixon's Plan to Withdraw American Forces. Hooverville was a small town founded by homeless people in the United States during the Great Depression. Many squeezed in with relatives. One of the most famous ways in which people migrated during the timeframe of the Great Depression was by 'riding the rails' on trains. "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. This download is exclusively for KidsKonnect Premium members!To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download! Most Hoovervilles operated in an informal, unorganized way, but the bigger ones would sometimes put forward spokespersons to serve as a liaison between the camp and the larger community. They were named after Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States during the onset of the Depression and was widely blamed for it. Create your account, 29 chapters | By 1930 and 1931, settlements appeared in various locations throughout Seattle, but authorities typically destroyed them after neighbors complained. It became the most widespread crisis of the twentieth century, affecting several countries worldwide. Hoover leather referred to cardboard or newspaper used to replace worn-out shoe soles. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Hoovervilles were hundreds of makeshift homeless encampments built near large cities across the United States during the Great Depression (1929-1933). You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards. After 1940, all of Hooverville were destroyed as the economy recovered and the unemployment rate fell eventually. There was no work, people were starving and the local police repeatedly burned down the camp. There were dozens in the state of Washington, hundreds throughout the country, each testifying to the housing crisis that accompanied the employment crisis of the early 1930s. This sort of fatalism was especially apparent in the language that developed around the iconic representation of the Great Depression --the Hooverville. Some claim to have been made up of men, women, and children, while others claim to only have had men. It began with the United States stock market crash of 1929, and didn't completely end until after . These are ready-to-use Hooverville worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Hooverville, which was a small town founded by homeless people in the United States during the Great Depression. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. The current "Nickelsville" is a nod to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, just as "Hooverville" was a sarcastic nod to . Each Hooverville was unique. Signed in June 1930, the decidedly protectionist law placed extremely high tariffs on imported foreign goods. Home Facts Privacy About Blog Contact Terms. Facts About Hoovervilles The term Hooverville came from the blame on President Herbert Hoover for the intolerable economic and social conditions. Click the image to see a larger version of the map and here to read excerpts from Roy's sociological survey.By 1934 nearly 500 self-built one-room domiciles were "scattered over the terrain in insane disorder," according to Donald Roy, a sociology graduate student who studied the community. 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. During WWI, this area belonged to the Port of Seattle but was occupied by the Skinner and Eddy shipyard. var months = new Array(12); Some squatted, either defying eviction and staying where they were, or finding shelter in one of the increasing number of vacant buildings. A structured government ran Hooverville in Seattle, Washington, and extensive documentation was collected. Economic disparity in the United States during the 1930s was not limited to American born individuals. Who Were the Democratic Presidents of the United States? Sign Up. Hoovervilles varied in size from a few hundred residents to thousands of people in larger cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, Washington. Democrats coined many terms based on opinions of Herbert Hoover[5] such as "Hoover blanket" (old newspaper used as blanketing). "; Throughout the country, Hoovervilles, or makeshift shanties, would spring up to provide shelter wherever possible, often near water sources or the soup kitchens operated by churches and charities. Probably the most famous Hooverville was the one founded on Anacostia Flats, just outside Washington, D.C., in 1932. Seattle's main Hooverville was one of the largest, longest-lasting, and best documented in the nation. [2] Donald Francis Roy, a citizen of Seattles Hooverville, took detailed recordings of the population during his time there. Workers, whether migrant or immigrant, suffered from a lack of jobs making up a large portion of Hooverville. The government refused to pay, citing Depression-era budgetary restrictions. MacArthurs troops set fire to the Hooverville and drove the group from the city with bayonets and tear gas. However, prosperity was soon replaced by poverty and optimism by desperation following the stock market crash of October 1929 and the general failure of the nations banking system. 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. until the land was needed for shipping facilities on the eve of World War II. The smaller camps tended to come and go, while the larger Hoovervilles proved far more permanent. here to see more photographs of Hoovervilles and homeless encampments in Seattle and Tacoma. Seattle, in 2009, is currently facing a recession that may be the most serious since the Depression of the 1930s, and a community similar to Hooverville has formed. 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