Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

As you read about how people coped with hard times, use the headings below to summarize the Great Depression’s effects on various aspects of American life.

Employment
The Great Depression had a huge effect on employment during the time. The unemployment rate grew greatly, higher then it had ever been during this time, especially for African American's who were already the lowest paid employees and were no suffering from job loss even more so then the white Americans. Most men were accustomed to providing for their families, so when they lost their jobs, they would go out and look for a new one and try to get hired again because they felt they needed to fill their role as a provider for their family. 

Housing
As the reading says "During the Great Depression, as many as 300,000 transients-- or "hoboes" as they were called-- wandered the country hitching rides on railroad box cars and sleeping under bridges" many people were losing their houses because they could no longer pay for them so they were forced to live on the streets during this time. Some even slept in sewer pipes.

Farming
As the reading says "Between 1929 and 1932, about 400,000 farms were lost through foreclosure" There was however an advantage to farming, families could raise their own food and everyone could pretty much eat, but with debt and raising prices during the time, many farmers soon lost their land and could no longer provide for themselves and their families. 


Race relations
The Great Depression hit everyone hard, but the hardest hit were the African Americans. These employees already had the lowest pay and then they started struggling with unemployment as well. According to the reading, the unemployment rate of the African Americans was over 50 percent but the overall unemployment rate was somewhere around 25 percent. In addition to this they had to deal with racial violence and were constantly competing with white Americans for jobs. 

Family life
Although the Great Depression was a struggle placed on families, families were a very positive thing to have during this time. People believed in strong unity of their families during hardship, and instead of being sad, they would spend time together entertaining themselves with board games and listening to the radio even though times were tough. It was important for them to stay strong together. 


Physical health
obviously the physical health of most people decreased during the Great depression. People were starving because they couldn't afford a decent amount of food, for one thing. Another being that people were facing foreclosure and were forced to live on the streets, and this is not a good condition for living and optimum health. to add on to that, some people would sleep in sewer pipes and wrap themselves in newspapers, which is unsanitary. lastly, people often had to give up going to the doctor's or the dentist because they couldn't afford to. 

Emotional health
To start, a lot of people were demoralized to the point where they didn't want to try and survive any longer. During this time the suicide rate rose more then 30 percent and three times as many people were being admitted into mental hospitals compared to the norm. Also, young adults would have to give up their dreams of going to college which is crushing as well as people putting off getting married and having children because they couldn't afford to.  

Explain or define each of the following:

 Dust bowl
The region hit hardest by the Great Depression including parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. 

Shantytown
Little towns consisting of shacks 

Direct Relief

Cash payments or food provided by the government to the poor (did not exist during the great depression)

Causes of the Great Depression

1. What industrial weakness signaled a declining economy in the 1920s?    
The industrial weakness that signaled a declining economy in the 1920's was the superficial prosperity. As the reading states "The superficial prosperity of the late 1920's shrouded weaknesses that would signal the onset of the great depression"
2. What did the experience of farmers and consumers at this time suggest about the health of the economy?    
The experience of farmers and consumers at this time suggests that everyone during the time was going into greater and greater debt. Considering at one time, the farmers were doing well in their business, but after the war demand fell and they lowered their prices. This only forced them into more debt because with lower prices they were farming more products and in order to farm more products you need equipment and you have to take out loans to get equipment. Demand for crops still weren't good. As the reading says "Many lost their farms when banks foreclosed and seized the property as payment for the debt" This suggests that the economy was digging itself a deeper hole and everything was just going badly during this time.
3. How did speculation and margin buying cause stock prices to rise?    
Speculation and margin buying caused stock prices to rise because people were using the little money they had to invest it in stocks and margin buying encouraged this because someone could pay "a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowing the rest" made people want to invest what they had on the off chance of gaining a profit from it. This was not discouraged and the unruly buying and selling made the stock prices rise.
4. What happened to ordinary workers during the Great Depression?    
During the great depression, ordinary workers were losing there jobs, millions and millions of people were being laid off. As the reading says "unemployment leaped from 3 percent" up to 25 percent during The Great Depression.
5. How did the Great Depression affect the world economy?    
The Great Depression affected the world economy because in Europe and Germany, they were paying off their debts from the war, Germany paying for damages they had caused and Europe "trying to recover from the ravages of World War I" This made trading and importing European goods difficult as well as selling American products and manufacturing goods abroad.
Define: 
a. Price-Supports: The government would buy surplus crops and sell them on the world market for guaranteed prices.  
b. Credit:  An arrangement in which costumers agreed to buy products now and pay later for their purchases.
c. Dow Jones Industrial Average: The most widely used barometer of the stock market's health                     d. Speculation:   buying stocks and bonds on the chance of a quick profit
e. Buying on Margin:    paying a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowing the rest
f. Black Tuesday:    October 29, when the bottom of the market and the nation's confidence fell out
g. Hawley-Smoot Tariff: An act that established the highest protective tariff in united states's history   

Schenck v US (Free Speech)

1. What was Justice Holmes’ main argument  in the Court’s opinion in Schenck? Do you agree with the Court’s opinion?   

Justice Holmes's main argument in the court's opinion in Schneck was that the words printed in the leaflets were not protected under the freedom of speech during wartime. I very much disagree with this opinion because, although wartime and the draft were a time where nationalism should've been increasing, of course there's going to be people who do not conform to something that is forcing people to risk their lives. it's understood that everyone should be supportive of something the government puts into play, but just because someone has a different opinion then those in the government shouldn't mean they get in trouble for it, and of course this should be protected under the first amendment, 

2. Do you think some limits on the freedom of speech are necessary? Explain. (Use your own opinion and support it using information from the reading.)     
Of course there should be some limits on freedom of speech, but at the same time, certain limits are not to be put into place. For example, because students wore black bands during the Vietnam war, to protest it, that is in no way a fair reason to be suspended, that's not putting anyone in danger, it's simply having the freedom of speech. With this being said, limitations on the first amendment should be placed if it is putting a person or group of people in danger. If someone was hang=ding out leaflets that said, "kill the president" then this would obviously be something that shouldn't be protected by the first amendment, but if something is just getting one's point across and they're expressing themselves then it should not have limitation placed on it.
3. List three examples of the "historical impact" of the Schenck decision. 

You can burn the American flag- This was decided in an 1989 court case, Texas vs. Johnson, many were outraged at this possibly because it was so controversial, and because of this simply being a some type of hate crime against America. 
readmission of students ho had been suspended- In 1969 in the case of tinker vs des moines decided that students who had been suspended from their school because of wearing and anti war band that they must be readmitted.
People jailed for supporting communism- in the 1950's people ere being jailed for supporting communism, a controversial issue, such as this, would reach the supreme court, just as many cases now a days. The first amendment is still being used some 200 years later in court.

Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

1. What made the Filipino insurrection "far different than any conflict in which Americans had previously fought"?
The Filipino insurrection was "far different than any conflict in which Americans had previously fought" for many reasons. As the reading states, "Rather then confronting an organized army, as they had in Cuba, U.S soldiers faced a quick striking guerrilla movement. The rules of war that generally prevailed in battles involving western nations were largely ignored" So basically, our soldiers were suddenly using a completely different tactic then they were used to, so this easily could have been difficult to adapt to, never mind attempt to fight by.
2. Why were African-Americans among the strongest critics of the war against the Filipino nationalists?
African-Americans are among the strongest critics of the war against the Filipino nationalists because the Filipino nationalists recognized them as different then the White-Americans just as their own country did.The African-Americans wanted to be looked at as equals to the whites, so when "Filipino nationalists openly played on the racial divisions within the U.S. army" it made the African-American soldiers be reminded of how badly they were discriminated against by their own country.
3. Why did the United States lose its appetite for imperialism in the early 1900s?
The United States lost it's appetite for imperialism in the early 1900's for a lot of reasons. One of these reasons could simply be, Mark Twain. Mark Twain was a very popular writer in the early 1900's, he was pretty much, anti-imperialist. His works of literature could have swayed the views of some readers. More importantly, there were many complications when it came to creating an empire. People didn't know what rights the Filipinos had as being part of the United States, and other such complications. Even Roosevelt who originally was all for the empire said "the people of the United States were not prepared to accept the burdens of an empire" so the United States abandoned the idea of taking on this "burden"
4. How did the United States contribute to the development of Cuba and Puerto Rico?
The United States contributed to the development of Cuba and Puerto Rico by doing many different things. First of all, American technology was advancing, "and administrative expertise contributed to rapid development on the islands" For example, roads and telephone lines were built, which obviously helped with the development of these islands. In addition, in 1912 the United States granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. U.S. citizenship granted them numerous rights which could easily help development. Also in 1917, the U.S. made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory, which is advantageous because they would have the protection of our military and country, which can help them grow as a territory without fear of other countries.
5. why did many Cubans come to resent the U.S. presence on their island?
Many Cubans came to resent the U.S. presence on their island for a few reasons. The first reason being that "When Cuba's national assembly issued a call for immediate independence in1900, the McKinley administration sought to slow the momentum of Cuban nationalism" Another reason for their resentment is because Cuba could only have independence with a whole bunch of limitations, which wouldn't technically make them independent...Some of these limitations included overseeing Cuban economy and veto power over foreign policy.
6. Do you believe the United States was imperialist? why or why not?
I do believe the United States was imperialist. We may have said that we were giving up on the empire because of all of the complications and some other reasons, but we were still very much imperialist. When we took control over Purto Rico and Cuba, well that's just it, we were making an empire. Not only that but we were trying to control them and still had many complications which is the reason why we didn't want an empire in the first place !  Lastly, when we said we were giving independence to Cuba, for example, we weren't actually letting them be their own country, we still had many limitation on them and weren't letting them really be free.

The Spanish-American War

1. How was the United States connected to Cuba in the 1890s?
The United States was connected to Cuba in the 1890's for multiple reasons. To start off, the United States has always been interested in taking Cuba in as part of the United States, to become a major slave territory; President Polk even tried to buy Cuba from Spain in 1848. But more recently, the United States is connected to Cuba in the 1890's because the United States removed the tariffs off of Cuban Sugar. As the reading says, " The United States was also by far the largest consumer of Cuban Sugar. In 1890, the United states removed tariffs on Cuban sugar, entering the American market, making it less expensive to buy the sugar in the united states. The legislation boosted the fortunes of both the overall Cuban economy and American investors on the island"
2. What were the main reasons the United States intervened in Cuba? (i.e. went to war) Which reason do you believe was most important? Explain your answer. 
The main reasons the United States intervened in Cuba were that Cuba was revolting, this was posing a major threat to the Cuban economy because of so many orders for farmers, sugar growers, etc. were being ordered to not sell most of their products. "By 1898, Gomez had brought the Cuban economy to a standstill" Another reason why the United States intervened in Cuba is because the Spanish ambassador to the United States had accidentally gotten a letter published that was meant for only his friend. In the letter, it called the President of the United States at the time, McKinley, "weak" Lastly, there was the explosion of the "Maine" ship vessel that had been anchored in Havana harbor. The ship "was ripped apart by a tremendous explosion on the night of February 15" Eventually it was proven that this ship had been sunken by an underwater mine, but at the time, they believed it was the Spanish. The reason that I find most important is calling President McKinley weak. This is an insult to not only the president, but to the nation as a whole. If you insult the leader of something, you insult the followers as well. This easily could have made the United States actually feel weak if they decided to think the same as the Spanish, that their president was weak. This is easily the most important reason for the United States to intervene. 
3. Why were many African-Americans eager to serve in the Spanish-American War?
So many African-Americans were eager to serve in the Spanish-American War because they simply wanted to try to show White-Americans that they were equal to them. According to the reading, "Many black leaders saw the war as an opportunity to elevate the status of blacks in the United States. They hoped the black participation in the fighting would win the African-American community new respect, and chip away the wall of discrimination" This is a very good quote to answer this question because it simply gives the exact answer to why African-Americans were so eager to serve in the Spanish- American war. 
4. How did racial attitudes at the turn of the century shape American peceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines?
Racial attitudes at the turn of the century helped shaped American perceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, by there already being ideas of what the citizens of these islands were like. As the reading states, "in line with the racial stereotypes of the day, most American leaders had little hope for the blacks and Asians who lived in Cuba, Puerto rico, the Philippines, and Guam could be a force of progress. At the same time, the Spanish were thought of as backward and cruel." Because of the accusations made before even knowing of these people of these different islands, America thought that these people were not capable of having their own democracies, but were also in fear of  having them as apart of the United States because they may have been a threat to the political system in America. 
5. Why did Emilio Aguinaldo feel that the United States supported his campaign for Filipino independence? 
Emilio Aguinaldo felt that the United States supported his campaign for Filipino independence because he pretty much planned to run a democracy. The United States was going to liberate the Philippines, but Emilio said that he was " the head of the temporary revolutionary government, and he planned to hold elections." Elections generally go along with the idea of democracy and that's what the United States was and still is run by politically. Also, seeing as the United States was planning on liberating the Philippines, Emilio being there as a leader would give the United States some peace at mind because there would be someone who is at least some what in charge in the Philippines, after they are no longer United States property. 
6. Why do you think the Spanish-American War was called "a splendid little war" by an American diplomat at the time? Do you think we could have a "splendid little war" today? Explain your answer.
The Spanish-American war was called "a splendid little war" by an American diplomat at the time because it wasn't a really "bad" war. The war was rather short, in comparison to some other wars of our past and wars going on today, so the war being short, could make it "splendid" perhaps. Also, the United States weren't exactly forced into war. We weren't bombed or anything bad enough to make us go directly to war, but there were some reason as to why we did go to war. In addition, the United States pretty much got what they wanted. For example, when they liberated the Philippines, they had someone who was running to be a leader, so the Philippines would be free from the United States, but would also have some sense of authority. Overall, this was wasn't awful compared to many others and therefore could've been called "a splendid little war" Today, i don't think we could have "a splendid little war" because today we try to avoid war as much as possible, so we wouldn't go into war unless "forced to" unlike the Spanish-American war. Also, if the reason we went into war was pretty big, then the ending of the war would most likely not end anytime soon, meaning it couldn't be little or splendid.

Origins of America's Global Power

1. Identify five important changes that transformed America in the nineteenth century.


A. One of the first changes that transformed America in the 19th century was annexing Hawaii, Cuba, Guam, etc. This transformed America, not only physically because of new land mass, but also because it could've easily made us stronger as a nation. More land generally means more power, so these different lands being annexed could indirectly mean more power for America as a nation.
B. Another change that helped transform America in the 19th century was expanding in the westward region. These western lands held many natural resources that therefore provided great wealth to America. As the reading states, "and as a result the United States built up significant economic and political power" due to the resources we now had in the west.
C. A third change that helped transform America in the 19th century was immigration. Immigration obviously contributed to the large ethnic diversity that American began to develop as well as increasing the population of America.
D. A fourth chanfe that helped transform America in the 19th century was urban growth. Urban growth changed a lot of things in America. America was orginally populated by mostly farmers, and now, all of a sudden, it had tons of people living in cities and working in factories. This changed the lifestyles of the people of America because almost everyone had an occupation in a city and had given up agriculture.
E. Lastly, trade helped transform America in the 19th century. Trade helped America economically; with all the new advancements in manufacturing, farming became less and less necessary because products could be produced in new factories, more efficiently and most likely more cost efficient. So, not only did America exporting so many goods bring in money, but by producing goods through factories instead of old fashioned farming, it was also more cost efficient.
2. How did the economic depression that began in 1893 deepen the divisions in American society? Which groups suffered the most during the depression?
The economic depression that began in 1893 deepened the divisions in American society because it put many people who all had similar jobs, out of work. All of these people hada worked in manufactioning and facotries, and suddenly they were out of work because of the depression. This made people very worried and scared and  "many saw labor strikes as one of the few ways they could gain recognition and control in their working lives" which generally only made things worse. All of these workers that once had a common job had to revert back to basics, to what they had before industilization. Most of all, the ones who were back to farming, or who had stayed in the occupation of farming, suffered so much during this depression. The farming market was already going downhill because so many people were depending on industry and factories, but when the depression hit, it became even worse then it already was.
3. What were the values many Americans attached to the frontier? Why did many Americans fear that the closing of the frontier would harm America's national character?
The values many Americans attached to the frontier were "resourcefullness, bravery, pragmatism, ingenuity, individualism, egalitrianism, and patriotism" according to the reading, were very closely realted values attached to the frontier. The closing of the frontier was a major concern, mostly to those from "old" families. Many people thought that without more land to explore, and without more resources to find that America would become a completely different place. Many thought that we would not be able to sustain our economic level without finding new resources in new lands, others thought that the values attached to the frontier would pretty much die out. They thought that values such as "resourcefulness" couldn't be kept alive if there were no new places with new resources.
4. Why did some Americans suggest greater involvement overseas?
Some Americans suggested greater involvement overseas, specifically in Chinese markets because of the large population and amount of consumers there. As the reading says, " Some buisnessmen and politicians believed that overseas expansion especially into Chinese markets would fuel economic growth" Simply, the amount of people overseas, could possibly be willing to buy American products and would obviously help the American economy. Also, Japan and Europe were starting to try to impose laws on China's trade, and Americans feared that if they didn't do the same then suddenly they would not be able to have any buissness in the Chinese markets which would not help the American economy at all.
5. How did the theories of social Darwinism and scientific racism lend support to the cause of American imperialism?
The theories of social Darwinism and scientific racism lended support to the cause of American imperialism because social Darwinism and scientific racism introduced the theory "survival of the fittest" This theory in supprt to the cause of social Darwinism was helpful because it simply stated that some people may have been born to rule and to be in control, while tohers who were inferior would die off. The theory of natural selection was involved in this, in the way that those who were meant to lead and had everything they needed to lead, would, while those whou didn't have the tools and advantages that others had, would not lead due to their lack of necessities. This is similar to natural selection because scientifically, natural selection states that those who are more suited to live will grow and reproduce with one who is also more suited to survive; therefore the population would easily become more "fit" while the less fit died off because they didn't have the advantages that some others had, just like social Darwinism.
6. Summarize why the United States became involved in Samoa, Hawaii, and several Latin American nations.
The united states became involved in Samoa, Hawaii, and several Latin American countries for a variety of reasons. These reasons were beneficial to the United States, take Hawaii for example. Hawaii was mainly occupied by the Japanese, and if we hadn't annexed it into the United States, we were worried that they would start demanding rights and perhaps take away our port at Pearl Harbor. Therefore, in order to avoid these inconvienences, the United States annexed Hawaii. Another reason why the United States became involved with many islands in the Pacific is because they were great pitstops. If Americans were on their way to Asia or Australlia, they had a place to stop if necessary. Also, these islands provided good resources to be sold by America to help increase American income and help our economy.

Teddy Roosevelt's Square Deal

1. 1902 COAL STRIKE

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 
In order for Roosevelt to solve this problem he found a way to peacefully settle the issue. He "called both sides to the White House to talk" The dispute ended up being settled and the miners received a 10% "pay-hike" compared to the 15% they were asking for, along with a shorter work day then 9 hours, which is even better than what they asked for. 

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?
As the book said, Roosevelt called upon both sides of the White House to figure out what they could do to solve this problem. It started with Roosevelt, but the other but the other sides of the White House also had a role in the solving of the dispute. 

2. TRUSTS

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 
In order for Roosevelt to solve this problem he first realised that the Sherman Antitrust act was so vague that it was hard to use against companies her were practically robbing the public.  He also thought that not all trusts were bad, but that some of them should be regulated so that it is at least somewhat fair to the public. In 1902 he ordered the justice department to see to the Northern Securities Company, which had made a monopoly out of some northwestern railroads. By 1904, this company's monopoly had practically been destroyed. 

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?
Seeing as Roosevelt called upon "the justice department" this would have to do with the judicial branch of government, things like the Supreme Court. 

3. UNREGULATED BIG BUSINESS

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 
In order for Roosevelt to solve this problem Roosevelt set up the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) which was used to help enforce the dividing of business in a given area, so that wealthy people couldn't fix high prices for the public. The ICC didn't have much power though. Thus, Roosevelt urged congress to pass the Elkins Act in 1903 which "made it illegal  for railroad officials to give, and shippers to receive, rebates for using particular railroads. The act also specified that railroads could not change set rates without notifying the public"

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

The legislation that helped solve this problem is the legislative branch along with the executive because Roosevelt wanted to regulate big business, but he needed congress to pass the Elkins Act.

4. DANGEROUS FOODS AND MEDICINES

 a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 
In order for Roosevelt to solve this problem is that he first read "The Jungle" which although it is only a story, had true facts behind it. He had inspectors set out to the Meat Packing Factories and in 1906, he wanted the Meat Inspection Act packed, which "dictated strict cleanliness requirements for meat packers and created the program of federal meat inspection" 

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?
Again, Roosevelt started everything, basically. He sent out inspectors, but then he needed congress's help to pass the Meat Inspection Act. So this relied on the legislative and executive branch. 


5. SHRINKING WILDERNESS AND NATURAL RESOURCES

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 
In order for Roosevelt to solve this problem he set aside 148 acres of forest conservation, 1.5 million acres of water-power sites, and 80 million acres of land for geological survey and lastly 50 wildlife sanctuaries and many national parks. In addition, he named Gifford Pinchot, a professional conservationist, head of the U.S. forest service. 

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?
The only legislation that seemed to be involved in this is the executive branch of government because Roosevelt is the one who basically did everything to help conserve the natural resources. 

6. RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 
Roosevelt didn't do very much to solve this problem, but he did appoint an African American as the head of the custom house in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition, he invited Booker T. Washington to dinner at the White House. 

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?
What was done about racial discrimination was pretty much only done by the executive branch of government because it was only Roosevelt doing the little things that were done. 

Explain the importance of each of the following:

7. Square Deal:                 
A term used to describe the various progressive reforms sponsored by the Roosevelt administration

8. The Jungle:
                           
A book written by Sinclair to show what conditions were like in the meat packing industries, causing the passing of the Meat Inspection Act. 
9. Upton Sinclair:           
A journalist who researched things about the human conditions in the stock yard of Chicago. This research was done for his book "The Jungle" but people mostly focused on the conditions in the meat packing workplaces rather then the human conditions in the stock yard. 

10. NAACP: 
The National Association for the Advancement of Couloured People, which was an organization that was formed because many presidents didn't do much to contribute to the advancement in treatment of people who are discriminated against. 

11. Meat Inspection Act:                          
The act passed by congress in 1906 that dictated strict cleanliness requirements for meat packers and created the program of federal meat inspection

12. Pure Food & Drug Act: 
The act passed by congress in 1906 that halted the sale of contaminated foods and medicines as well as truth in the labeling of foods. 

13. Significance of the 1902 Coal Miners’ Strike: 
The actions Roosevelt took during this time proved that disputes could be settled in a peaceful manner, and basically set an example for the nation.