Mice and men (American economic problems)

1. Mice and men (American economic problems) By Izzy Lane (me)

2. The American Dream • The American dream was the idea that many Americans looked up too. It was for everyone to feel equal and for everyone to be able to own their own land. Land ownership has always been a symbol of accomplishment in America. The ability of land was that a person could make a living by growing crops and raising animals. This was seen a fulfilment of the dream. Generations of Americans handed the dream down from one to another.  As American land became more and more settled, the option of owning land became near impossible.

3. Wall Street Crash • When the Wall Street stock market crashed in October 1929, the world economy was plunged into the Great Depression. By the winter of 1932, America was in the depths of the greatest economic depression in its history. The number of unemployed people reached 13 million. In St Louis, more than 1,000 people lived in shacks made from scrap metal and boxes. Between 1 and 2 million people travelled the country desperately looking for work. Signs saying 'No Men Wanted' were displayed all over the country.

4. The Great Depression • Millions of dollars were wiped out it led to the Depression in America which crippled the country from 1930 - 1936. People lost their life savings when firms and banks went bust, and 12-15 million men and women - one third of America's population - were unemployed. Food was short and the unemployed in cities couldn't pay their rent. Meaning many were left to live in the streets or in hoovervilles (after the president) which were made up of corrugated iron and cardboard.

5. Migrant farm workers in 1930s America • A few natural problems happened as well as the majority of the states. There were many droughts in southern mid-western states like Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas led to dried-up land and no successful crops. Farmers were forced to move off their land due to debts. Many migrants headed west to 'Golden' California, thinking there would be land but most were turned back. The refuges had nowhere to go to, so they camped in the California valleys.