15-2+USH

Abby Regan 5/3/12 USHCP Mr. Masterson

Key Terms: Mutualistas: Mutual-aid societies formed by Mexican American communities to help local residents. Breadlines: Lines formed by people waiting for free food. Shantytowns: Collections of makeshift shelters built by homeless people.

Key People: Josefina Fierro de Bright: A major activist in the Mexican American community, she led boycotts of companies that were in Mexican American places but didn't hire the Mexican American workers. James Hilton: Author of the Lost Horizon, which was about a man who came upon a utopia in Tibet. James T. Farrell: Author of the Studs Lonigan Trilogy, which was about the grim life of Irish immigrants. William Faulkner: Author of The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying which was about bad things happening in a small town in Mississippi.

Summary:

American Workers Face Unemployment
 * The depression caused stores to close and factories to stop producing, and now millions were jobless.

Increasing Joblessness
 * The number of people that were unemployed rose drastically from 1.5 million in 1929 to 15 million in 1933.
 * Those who could keep their jobs had much fewer hours and lower wages than before.
 * Immigration to the US decreased during this time.

The American Worker
 * African Americans faced discrimination and even more difficult times, as they were often the first to be laid off.
 * Many African American women lost their jobs as domestic servants.
 * The amount of women working rose in the 1930s because they could be hired more cheaply than men, but this meant there was more competition for African American women.
 * Many unemployed people began selling apples on the street in attempt to keep a steady income and a sense of self reliance.

Life in The City
 * People who lived in the cities during the Great Depression had to deal with poverty and unemployment.
 * The government did little to help the those in need, so the people had to depend on each other and local organizations like the Red Cross.
 * People nationwide had trouble finding food for themselves and their families.
 * Many were also homeless, as they were unable to pay rent.
 * The homeless gathered in shantytowns, and many blamed Hoover's unresponsiveness for their problems.

Life on The Farm
 * As the demands for farm products decreased, farmers were stuck with extra goods that they had to kill or let rot.
 * As incomes fell, many farmers couldn't pay their mortgage, and many farms faced foreclosure, but some rebelled against the foreclosures and bid for property with low prices, and gave the good back to their owners once the house was "sold".
 * Tenant farmers in the south had it even worse, because they already faced poverty, and were often forced off their land.
 * Migrant farmers (usually Mexicans) faced difficulties because the government wanted to removed illegal aliens and send them back to their homeland, which they did.
 * Some Mexican Americans that remained in the US organized to stop discrimination in the southwest, one of these people being Joesfina Fierro de Bright, who was greatly impacted by the Great Depression.
 * At age 18, Fierro de Bright went to College in California, but became active in stopping discrimination with the help of her husband, who was a Hollywood screen writer.
 * An organization called El Congreso, which organized immigrants to resist discrimination, called on Fierro de Bright to help them start a branch in Los Angeles.

Family Life In the 1930s
 * The Great Depression made it so that families had to work together to cope with the difficulties of the Great Depression.

Family Strains
 * Some families broke apart under the strain, and marriage rates dropped severely because many put off getting married, and birthrates declined too.
 * Because women had to be the hero in their families in terms of helping them survive, their lives were hard.

Psychological Effects
 * The Great Depression also affected the mental health of many Americans, and many committed suicide.
 * Many men who's lives depended on their work were left with nothing to do, and it was equally difficult for women with the same issues, and being unable to support their families, they were consumed by guilt.
 * Even after the Great Depression many still were worried about losing what they had.

Popular Culture in the 1930s
 * Many Americans found pop culture to be an escape from their worries.

The Sound Explosion
 * Many theaters offered inexpensive tickets and double features, so they were a popular go to place.
 * Movie Cartoons such as Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, helped make people's days.
 * Radio shows offered free entertainment at home.

Literature
 * Many books reflected the desires of the people, which were "GET ME OUTTA HERE", and escaping the brutality of reality.
 * Some books, however, had a realistic view of things.