The Great Depression and New Deal Organizer (Pre-AP)

Group / Effect of the Great Depression
Oil Workers / At first, drillers could make $10-$12 per day at East TX oil field. Then, oil prices fell due to overproduction, and this had a negative effect on revenues.
Factory Workers / Lost their jobs when factories closed.
Cotton Farmers / Excess crops forced the price of cotton lower than it was in the 1920s.
Tenant Farmers / Many were evicted since landowners were paid by the federal government not to grow crops.
Timber Workers / Laid off from their jobs when people could no longer afford to build new houses.
African Americans / The unemployment rate was twice that of the rest of the population. Many migrated to California.
Mexican Americans / Some migrated voluntarily, but many were deported.
Working Women / Many of their jobs were taken away and given to men.
Miners / As the demand for oil and petroleum increased, the demand for coal decreased. As a result, coal mines closed and miners were laid off.

As a result of the Great Depression, which group above suffered the greatest job loss? Working women

Group / Effect of the New Deal
Artists / Hired to paint murals in public buildings, as well as to provide entertainment
Construction Workers / Many were hired through the PWA or WPA programs
Farmers / Government paid the farmers to reduce production and to destroy crops to bring down prices. It paid farmers to plant trees to slow down soil erosion in the area of the Dust Bowl. Also, it encouraged farmers to fill gullies with brush to slow water as it ran downhill, and it paid them to plant crops that would enhance the soil.
Rural People / Helped them form cooperatives to borrow money from the government to obtain electricity
Young People / They were able to obtain jobs as a result of the NYA
Historians / Given jobs writing community histories

1.  What was the one of the causes of the stock market crash?

In the 1920s, people hoping to make quick fortunes had driven up the prices of stocks. When the price of stocks fell, both they and the banks that had loaned the money were wiped out.

2.  What was one of the effects of the stock market crash?

Answers will vary but may include unemployment and closures of factories.

3.  What was President Hoover’s oversight in his reaction to the economic crisis?

He underestimated the severity of the Depression and started relief efforts at the state and local government levels.

4.  What was a major factor in Texas’s internal economic crisis?

the overproduction of oil

5.  What was Governor Sterling’s response to the overproduction of oil in the East Texas Field?

He declared martial law and sent the Texas National Guard to the East TX oil field to enforce it.

6.  Why were areas like the High Plains known as the Dust Bowl?

When farmers plowed grasses under, there was nothing left to hold the soil when winds blew. A severe drought added to the problem and together they formed large dust storms.

7.  What was the main effect of New Deal?

It increased government’s role in people’s lives.

8.  How did the New Deal help residents of rural Texas?

It helped them form cooperatives that borrowed money from the government to pay for stringing electrical wires. This eased the burden of house and farm work and introduced families to radio programs.

Organization / Describe its role during the New Deal
FERA / Gave funds to state and local agencies for distribution directly to unemployed people
CCC / Provided outdoor employment for young men while it helped preserve the nation’s resources
NYA / Provided job opportunities for high school and college students
PWA / Hired local workers to construct bridges, dams, schools, and other structures.
WPA / Hired workers to construct swimming pools, recreation centers, stadiums, parks. Also hired artists, entertainers, and historians.
Year / Political Events in Texas: 1920s, 30s, and 40s
1927 / U.S. Supreme Court rules that Texas law prohibiting blacks from voting in primaries violates 14th and 15th Amendment rights (Nixon vs. Herndon).
1929 / LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) is founded at Corpus Christi to work for Mexican American rights in courts, hiring, and education.
1932 / Ross Sterling loses bid for reelection as Texas governor to Miriam Ferguson, whose 2nd governorship is clouded in controversy.
1934 / School Improvement League is founded in San Antonio to address inadequate school facilities as well as overcrowding.
1935 / James Allred becomes Texas governor and reorganizes the Texas Rangers. He also establishes the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
1944 / U.S. Supreme Court rules that the all-white primary is unconstitutional (Smith vs. Allwright).