The Great Depression created a huge loss for the economy. After the stock market crashing, 13 Millions of Americans lost their jobs and unemployment rose 24.1%. Americans faced poverty because jobs were lost and no work available. People were not making money so they stopped spending too. The economy could not survive without consumers.Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged to make American lives better through his New Deal. The New Deal created work relief programs which gave people jobs to work on building bridges or dams. He also stabilized the banks to get them running again. Roosevelt hoped when the money starts to get pumped in, people will be able to make and spend their money.
During the time of the Great Depression, the 1930's was a bad time for farmers in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, and Kansas (Dust bowl states). When the dust storms occur in the book, the men and women had to stay in their homes because the dust were so thick and farming was difficult because the lands were covered with dust.People needed to wear goggles to protect their eyes. Many people living in the Dust Bowl area had a hard time surviving the dust storms because there was no food and water for them to eat since there was a drought. When the dust storm occurred in the book, the crops were ruined so there was no food to eat or drink. The weather resulted to unemployment for the farmers and their family. Families moved out of the Plain states and traveled to California but some families just moved to the next town. However for the families seeking land in California, the lands were already owned by others.40% of migrant farmers in the San Joaquin Valley picked grapes and cotton for a living.
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