Chapter 9 Questions on Page 492
What three major initiatives did President Hoover take to try to help the economy of the United States?
1. Voluntary conferences with industry leaders 2. National credit corporation 3. Reconstructive finance corporation
Use a graphic organizer similar to the one below to list the causes and effects of the Great Depression.
Cause: Overproduction of goods. Stock market crash. Banking problems. Hoover's actions towards businesses. Effect: Unemployment. Homeless people. Families can't afford food. Banks fail. Social problems. Less production. Bad economy.
Do you think President Hoover could have done more to relieve the hardship caused by the Great Depression? Why or why not?
I think he should have acted sooner to prevent banks from collapsing by imposing stricter banking regulations so that people would not lose their savings. Also he could have provided more government assistance to families in distress. Because he did not act sooner, discontent led to violence.
Many people in the United States were impoverished during the Depression, yet 60 to 90 million weekly viewers paid to see the movies. Why do you think movies were so popular?
Movies offered an escape from viewers hard lives and made them feel better.
What approaches were used in literature and photography to highlight social problems during the Depression?
Photographs portraying rural life in America during the Great Depression, and literature like the Grapes of Wrath showed the despair of the Great Depression
Explain the purpose of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) created by President Hoover. Who benefited from this program?
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) was made to provided financial support to the governments and make loans to banks, railroads, and other businesses. These corporations benefited.
What was the character of the stock market in the late 1920's, and what caused it to crash?
The character of the stock market was the bull market, it crashed because stocks were overvalued and many people had purchased stocks on margin.
How did artists and writers capture the effects of the Great Depression?
They focused on pictures and stories of the homeless and unemployed
Why did "Okies" migrate to California during the Great Depression, and what happened to them once they got there?
They migrated searching for work and a better life. Many ended up working as homeless migrant laborers and were treated unfairly.
