It is well known that during the Great Depression there was a large population shift in Texas and other southern states. Specifically, Texas, at the time known most widely for agriculture, experienced a decline in the number of farms as well population. The question presented in this research paper is; how did this population decline affect Texas? Being a primarily agriculturally based economy, it could be argued that this population shift directly reshaped the traditional style of farm life, more specifically, cotton, in Texas. During the 1930’s, Hunt County was considered the “cotton capital” of Texas . How did the population change and the Great Depression affect the most prominent cotton-producing county in Texas?
The population in Hunt …show more content…
However “cotton sales… dropped from $376 million to $140 million between 1920 and 1932 . Comparatively, the top cotton-producing county in Texas today is Hale County, producing 483,000 bales. The value of Hunt County’s farms became half of what they were in 1920 and “by 1935 some 2,259 heads of families were on government relief” . At the start of the Great Depression, large quantities of all Texas farmers were either tenant or sharecroppers.
Simultaneously with the Great Depression, and conceivably causing as much damage as the Great Depression, was the infamous Dust Bowl. Due to poor farming techniques, a vast amount of excess dust and soil gathered and accumulated over time. After an extremely dry season, the overabundance of dust and dirt over southern farms proved disastrous economically and agriculturally for large portions of the Sunbelt, primarily in Texas and …show more content…
Though the 1920’s were generally looked at as a period of economic gain and prosperity, the Great Depression quickly changed that idea of growth and prosperity in America. Despite this, Texas was able to prove itself strong in the aspects of economics and agriculture. The population struggle experienced in the 1930’s due to the social events of the time exalted the importance of agriculture, and more distinctly, cotton in Texas. While proving it could endure agriculture crisis and the Great Depression just eight years after, Hunt County manifested the importance of its economic connections to the rest of Texas. Though the population shift appeared to be potentially burdensome for Texas and the cotton kingdom within it, cotton was still being produced at acceptable numbers. However, the population shift did in fact affect the number of farms, but with an increase of technological ability over time, the remaining farmers were able to recover and once again produce a large numbers of crops, even much so that there were surpluses. Though the causes of the Great Depression are still occasionally argued, most believe the sole reason is the stock market crash, others believe it was a compendium of several events, the affects of the Depression are still perceptible today. The Great Depression pushed people out of the South and away from farming, many may have not returned after abandoning their southern, agrarian
The population in Hunt …show more content…
However “cotton sales… dropped from $376 million to $140 million between 1920 and 1932 . Comparatively, the top cotton-producing county in Texas today is Hale County, producing 483,000 bales. The value of Hunt County’s farms became half of what they were in 1920 and “by 1935 some 2,259 heads of families were on government relief” . At the start of the Great Depression, large quantities of all Texas farmers were either tenant or sharecroppers.
Simultaneously with the Great Depression, and conceivably causing as much damage as the Great Depression, was the infamous Dust Bowl. Due to poor farming techniques, a vast amount of excess dust and soil gathered and accumulated over time. After an extremely dry season, the overabundance of dust and dirt over southern farms proved disastrous economically and agriculturally for large portions of the Sunbelt, primarily in Texas and …show more content…
Though the 1920’s were generally looked at as a period of economic gain and prosperity, the Great Depression quickly changed that idea of growth and prosperity in America. Despite this, Texas was able to prove itself strong in the aspects of economics and agriculture. The population struggle experienced in the 1930’s due to the social events of the time exalted the importance of agriculture, and more distinctly, cotton in Texas. While proving it could endure agriculture crisis and the Great Depression just eight years after, Hunt County manifested the importance of its economic connections to the rest of Texas. Though the population shift appeared to be potentially burdensome for Texas and the cotton kingdom within it, cotton was still being produced at acceptable numbers. However, the population shift did in fact affect the number of farms, but with an increase of technological ability over time, the remaining farmers were able to recover and once again produce a large numbers of crops, even much so that there were surpluses. Though the causes of the Great Depression are still occasionally argued, most believe the sole reason is the stock market crash, others believe it was a compendium of several events, the affects of the Depression are still perceptible today. The Great Depression pushed people out of the South and away from farming, many may have not returned after abandoning their southern, agrarian