Great Depression Sociology

Great Essays
This historical investigation will assess, to what extent did the Great Depression affect farmers in central United States. Through the use of sources from historians and journalists, I will prove that farmers were struggling under pressure from the federal United States government. Mary Heaton writes about the struggles of the average farmer in the midwest, specifically Iowa. Heaton was an American journalist and activist during the Great Depression. She wrote “Rebellion in the Cornbelt” as a result of her experiences in visiting Family in Sioux City, Iowa. She starting writing out of habit and to spread the struggles of the people around her and she provides a first hand account of life during the Great Depression in the midwest. She also …show more content…
After the start of the Dust Bowl cultivation became an enormous challenge. Crops could not survive in the current conditions. The Great Depression hit soon after, which shook the commodities market. Farmers could no longer sell their crops at profit. Crop prices are pushed down even further after the collapse of Wall Street, leaving farmers in a state of desperation, that can be seen in “The Business Cycle and The Great Depression,” which shows that value of commodities, and in turn securities, collapsing. “The Business Cycle and The Great Depression” really shows how tight money was for farmers during the Depression. Only hard times were in sight as the farmers were barely able to feed their own. In urban areas, soup kitchens were formed for those who could not afford to feed themselves; the price of corn and beef skyrocket due to the shortage in supply. “Tar paper shacks known as ‘Hoovervilles’” were created. History.com covers the destruction in the cities “penniless men and women roamed the street corners selling apples”. Farmers had it worse; being pressured by the government to continue farming land that was impossible to farm, and to slaughter remaining cattle to feed to the starving people in the cities, they had no choice but to turn a blind eye. They were starting to run short on food themselves and their

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