Many felt that the government had to help those who lost work in the 1930s. until the land was needed for shipping facilities on the eve of World War II. In 1929, unemployment was around 3%. Hoovervilles, or shantytowns, became a common sight. These are ready-to-use Hooverville worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Hooverville, which was a small town founded by homeless people in the United States during the Great Depression. At 81, He does Tell History Firsthand", Photos of a new father figure in Hooverville in Portland, Oregon, Great Depression in Washington State Project, Photos and details of a Hooverville in Seattle, Washington, Photographs of California Hoovervilles (Sacramento, Kern County), Presidential transition of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Birthplace and childhood home National Historic Site, Presidential Library, Museum, and gravesite, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hooverville&oldid=1139613330, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from May 2017, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Exhibit B: Location and Number of Shacks (March 5, 1941) What does it tell you about Hooverville society? Letter from Housing Authority to City Council (March 4, 1941) This photo shows a team of two work horses hitched to a wagon with farm house visible in the background in Beltsville, Md., in 1935. The Great Depression was the most severe and enduring economic collapse of the 20th century, and included abrupt declines in the supply and demand of goods and services along with a meteoric rise in unemployment. Some families were fortunate enough to stay with friends and family members that hadn't been evicted yet, but homeless men, women and children were forced to take up residence in shacks as a result of the Great Depression. Thousands of World War I veterans, calling themselves the Bonus Army, had arrived in the nation's capital to demand early payment of a bonus they had been promised at the end of the war. Others responded to complaints by people in the neighborhood and evicted the inhabitants and burned the shacks. A Tarpaper Carthage: Interpreting Hooverville, by Joey Smith, Beyond the waters lie two rugged mountain ranges, the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east. This drain reservoir became the site of an informal camp established by a few homeless people, but they were quickly evicted. months[6] = "Uncover a wealth of facts and information on a variety of subjects produced by the Siteseen network. Many authorities frequently tolerated the shantytowns out of sheer necessity. Exhibit C: Physical Conditions and Occupancy of Shacks (March 5, 1941) And hundreds of thousands--no one knows how many--took to the streets, finding what shelter they could, under bridges, in culverts, or on vacant public land where they built crude shacks. months[2] = "Learning made easy with the various learning techniques and proven teaching methods used by the Siteseen network. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Its unofficial mayor was Jesse Jackson, who led the city in tolerating the homeless and imposed lax building and sanitation regulations. Longley, Robert. Excerpt from Health Department Annual Report (1935) A request from the city was that women and children would not be allowed to live in the shantytown. The decision led to the establishment of the Shack Elimination Committee by the City Council. Click here to see more photographs of Hoovervilles and homeless encampments in Seattle and Tacoma. Hoovervilles: Homeless Camps of the Great Depression. Hoovervilles of the Great Depression Daily Dose Documentary 6.73K subscribers Subscribe 223 Share 42K views 2 years ago For more episodes, please visit http://dailydosenow.com Today's Daily Dose. Home Facts Privacy About Blog Contact Terms. But residents rebuilt and the site remained occupied all the way through World War II. Early in 1941, the Seattle Health Department established a Shack Elimination Committee to identify unauthorized housing clusters and plan their removal. The Great Depression (1929-1940): Tutoring Solution, Franklin D. 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In late 1935, the city Health Department estimated that 4,000 to 5,000 people were living in the various shacktowns. Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors. We spend less time wondering what we'd do if we lost it all and had to make do with virtually nothing. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. They were built by unemployed impoverished Americans that had been made homeless and had nowhere else to live. Others were simply holes dug in the ground covered with pieces of tin. Residents of the previous Hooverville in Tacoma rebuilt homes on the same site they occupied throughout. The makeshift shacks were constructed from unwanted materials and lacked basic amenities such as adequate sanitation and clean drinking water. This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download! Banks closed, and factories shut down; thousands and then millions of jobs were lost. The name was a reference to Herbert Hoover who was the President of the United States during the at the start of the Depression and widely blamed for it. Covering nine acres of public land, it housed a population of up to 1,200, claimed its own community government including an unofficial mayor, and enjoyed the protection of leftwing groups and sympathetic public officials Other Hoovervilles also developed: one on the side of Beacon Hill where today I-5 passes; one in the Interbay area next to where the city used to dump its garbage; and two others along 6th Avenue in South Seattle. Central Park Hooverville with Central Park West in the Background in 1932. Unsanitary conditions in the camps left both their residents and the nearby communities at risk of disease. The effect was the virtual freezing of international trade. He wasn't a particularly warm, charismatic individual; he had won the presidency on the strength of his record and his character, but very few people would have described him as sympathetic (though by all accounts, he agonized over the suffering of the Great Depression). Hundreds of Hoovervilles were established across the country during the 1930s. There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation, he wrote of the squalled camp. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Some have estimated that 500 Hoovervilles sprang up in 1929 and increased in number to over 6000 in the 1930s. Economic disparity in the United States during the 1930s was not limited to American born individuals. As their investments lost value, people soon depleted their savings. The smaller camps tended to come and go, while the larger Hoovervilles proved far more permanent. The reaction to all of this was often characterized by a grim sort of humor, sometimes represented by popular songs like the 1930's 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Construction within the strict timeframe proved an immense read more, The Dust Bowl was the name given to the drought-stricken southern plains region of the United States, which suffered severe dust storms during a drought in the 1930s. After hosting several homeless settlements, the reservoir was dubbed the Hoover Valley and Depression Street. which contrasted the prosperity of the previous decade with the current crisis. Will Work ForAnything. The Story of the Great Depression in Photos, How the Great Depression Altered US Foreign Policy, Reconstruction Finance Corporation: Definition and Legacy, Biography of Louis Armstrong, Expert Trumpeter and Entertainer, What Is Patriotism? Hoovervilles and Homelessness. The Red Scare of the 1920s History & Overview | What was the First Red Scare? Tacoma hosted a large encampment near the city garbage dump that residents called "Hollywood-on-the-Tideflats." Sign Me Up, Editing resources is available exclusively for KidsKonnect Premium members.To edit this worksheet, click the button below to signup (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start editing! Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Hooverville across 20 in-depth pages. "Nobody Paid any Attention": The Economic Marginalization of Seattle's Hooverville, by Dustin Neighly, Seattles Hooverville: The Failure of Effective Unemployment Relief in the Early 1930s by Magic Demirel, Hooverville: A Study of a Community of Homeless Men in Seattle by Donald Francis Roy, The Story of Seattle's Hooverville by Jesse Jackson, "Mayor" of Hooverville, Seattle Municipal Archives Hooverville Documents. It helped me pass my exam and the test questions are very similar to the practice quizzes on Study.com. Although a common factor among Hooverville residents was unemployment, inhabitants took any work that became available, often laboring at such backbreaking, sporadic jobs as fruit picking or packing. These areas were frequently on private lands, but the trespassing settlements were simply ignored as the crisis demanded. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. In addition to his perceived disregard for the harm done by the Great Depression, Hoover was criticized for backing the controversial Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. In his journal, he states that of the 639 residents of the town, only 7 of them were women. Some were as small as a few hundred people while others, in bigger metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C. and New York City, boasted thousands of inhabitants. St. Louis Hooverville, built in 1930, had its own unofficial mayor, churches and social institutions. Odd pieces of wood, stones, loose boards, crates, cardboard, scraps of other materials, old bricks and parts of boxes. As elsewhere in the country, Washington State's Communist Party helped to organize the unemployed into active political and social formations. Over its eight years of existence, the WPA put roughly 8.5 million Americans to work read more, The 1930s in the United States began with an historic low: more than 15 million Americansfully one-quarter of all wage-earning workerswere unemployed. Absolutely anything that would provide shelter. Where were Hoovervilles situated? Families who had lost their homes lived in shacks in temporary settlements known as "Hoovervilles," named after the current president, Herbert Hoover. 19. The Seattle City Council decided to close Hooverville in May 1941, despite the increased reliance on it for shelter. As fears grew, many Americans believed the U.S. government could and should do something to help. Those who did were chronically underpaid. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards. KidsKonnect is a growing library of high-quality, printable worksheets for teachers and homeschoolers. Browse hooverville resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources. months[11] = "A vast range of highly informative and dependable articles have been produced by the Siteseen network of entertaining and educational websites. Eight different Hoovervilles were established in Seattle, Washington, with the largest one lasting from 1932 to 1941 and built on the tidal flats adjacent to the Port of Seattle. Roy noted that the only Filipinos and Mexican men were segregated, generally due to language rather than racial discrimination. The publics frustration with President Hoovers refusal to deal with the Depression peaked in the spring of 1932 when an estimated 15,000 World War I veterans and their families established a Hooverville along the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. On June 17, 1932, many of the veterans, known as the Bonus Army, marched on the U.S. Capitol demanding payment the badly needed WWI combat bonuses the government had promised them. Some Hoovervilles even received assistance from churches and private donors. The shanty town was so big that people established their own community government and elected a 'mayor' as their leader to settle any disputes. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). In Seattle, Washington, stood one of the country's largest, longest-lasting, and best-documented Hoovervilles, standing for ten years between 1931 and 1941.Though several were located about the city, this Hooverville was on the tidal flats adjacent to the Port of Seattle. Writer John Steinbeck featured a family who lived in a California Hooverville and sought farm work in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Hoover leather referred to cardboard or newspaper used to replace worn-out shoe soles. "; [2] Donald Francis Roy, a citizen of Seattles Hooverville, took detailed recordings of the population during his time there. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The Great Depression saw the collapse of the United States' economy, rampant unemployment and a broad sense of hopelessness. - Definition & History, Effects & Events of the US Civil War from Various Perspectives, William Monroe Trotter: Quotes & Biography, Andrew Carnegie: Steel, Net Worth & Philanthropy, Neil Armstrong: Biography, Facts & Moon Landing, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. As Secretary of Commerce, Hoover presided over the economic boom times of the 'Roaring Twenties,' and when he entered the White House in early 1929, it seemed clear that the nation was in good hands. Herbert Hoover was a rising star of American politics when he won the presidential election of 1928. [3], The city tolerated Hoovervilles until the eve of World War II. They were named after Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States during the onset of the Depression and was widely blamed for it. Sign Me Up. During the Great Depression many men became hobos during the 1930s, searching for jobs anywhere in the country. For example, one of the eight Hoovervilles in Seattle, Washington, stood from 1931 to 1941. As America's housing and economic crisis worsened through 2009, homelessness was on the rise. This issue will be discussed more below. Photos from shantytowns across the country show images of families, including women and children, dwelling in their makeshift home. Homelessness was present before the Great Depression, and was a common sight before 1929. The majority of the homeless chose to live in small towns where they could easily access free soup kitchens. They were built by unemployed impoverished Americans that had been made homeless and had nowhere else to live. However, understanding that the campers had nowhere else to go, and fearing that they might still fall victim to the Great Depression themselves, most more affluent people were willing to tolerate the Hoovervilles and their impoverished residents. Here are ten key facts to know about Herbert Hoover, who he was as a person and his tenure as president. (2021, December 6). Unemployed masons used cast-off stone and bricks and in some cases built structures that stood 20 feet high. succeed. Trade policies made the Great Depression worse. This site uses cookies to improve your experience. This download is exclusively for KidsKonnect Premium members!To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download! It was headed by the Commissioner of Health, the Superintendent of Buildings, the Chief of Police, and the Chief of the Fire Department, tasked to draft a plan on how to proceed with the elimination of Hooverville. A "Hooverville" dweller, Circleville, Ohio, c. 1938. Americas longest lasting Hooverville in Seattle, Washington, stood for ten years, from 1931 to 1941. [7], While some Hoovervilles created a sort of government, most were unorganized collections of shanty houses. Thesis, University of Washington, 1935), pp.42-45. Bootleggers were becoming rich on the profits of illegal alcohol sales and violence was on the rise. Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images. The New Deal enacted special relief programs aimed at the homeless under the Federal Transient Service (FTS), which operated from 1933 to 1939. The easiest way to travel across the country was by train and Shantytowns, nicknamed 'Hobo Jungles' sprang up by most city railroad stations. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Seattle's main Hooverville was one of the largest, longest-lasting, and best documented in the nation. Renters fell behind and faced eviction. Roys 1934 census provides a breakdown of the population by ethnicity and nationality. Each Hooverville was unique. Some claim to have been made up of men, women, and children, while others claim to only have had men. Democrats coined many terms based on opinions of Herbert Hoover[5] such as "Hoover blanket" (old newspaper used as blanketing). This building housed a mayora's office and a commissary, or grocery store. Click the Edit button above to get started. Throughout the country, Hoovervilles, or makeshift shanties, would spring up to provide shelter wherever possible, often near water sources or the soup kitchens operated by churches and charities. One-fourth of all workers were unemployed. Hoovervilles In the 1930s, Hoovervilles (shantytowns) formed coast to coast in cities of the United States. The state described as 'absolute poverty' has been described as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information". After 1940, all of Hooverville were destroyed as the economy recovered and the unemployment rate fell eventually. The New Deal Legacy & Impacts | What is the Legacy of the New Deal? Hoovervilles were racially integrated. Including the veterans, their families, and other supporters, the crowd of protesters eventually grew to nearly 45,000 people. However, Hoovervilles were typically grim and unsanitary. This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 00:48. The nickname 'Hooverville' was given to the shanty towns that sprang up across the nation during the Great Depression. months[5] = "Explore the interesting, and fascinating selection of unique websites created and produced by the Siteseen network. Many Americans in need believed the resolution to their problems lay in government assistance, but Hoover resisted such a response throughout his presidency. The committee included two Whites, two Blacks, and two Filipinos. Who Were the Democratic Presidents of the United States? Hoovervilles were hundreds of makeshift homeless encampments built near large cities across the United States during the Great Depression (1929-1933). "Hoovervilles" were hundreds of crude campgrounds built across the United States by poverty stricken people who had lost their homes because of the Great Depression of the 1930s. His records show populations of Japanese, Mexican, Filipino, Native American, Costa Rican, Chilean, and Black men. [2] Among the white population, nationalities included English, Irish, Polish, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. Hoovervilles were the nickname given to a Shanty Town during the Great Depression and consisted of camps of makeshift shacks or tents set up on unused or public lands. City officials alternately tolerated and tried to eradicate the shack town. For webquest or practice, print a copy of this quiz at the Great Depression - Hoovervilles webquest print page. He was proud of the self-built community, saying "Hooverville is the abode of the forgotten man." President Herbert Hoover lost the election in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Early Hooverville was burned down twice by Seattle police, but its residents continued to rebuild small houses. Whenever possible, Hoovervilles were built near creeks, streams, and rivers to provide a source of water. https://www.thoughtco.com/hoovervilles-homeless-camps-of-the-great-depression-4845996 (accessed March 1, 2023). University of Washington: The Great Depression in Washington State. Not ready to purchase a subscription? In 1930, the largest Hooverville in America, consisting of four distinct sectors, was established in St. Louis. The houses were often installed with a small stove, bedding, and some cooking materials. As the Great Depression deepened people protested and launched hunger marches. Roosevelts recovery program, known as the New Deal, eventually reduced unemployment, regulated banking and helped turn the ailing economy around with public works projects and other economic programs. Homelessness was rampant during the Great Depression. read more, The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a work relief program that gave millions of young men employment on environmental projects during the Great Depression. Trench Warfare in WWI: History & Facts | What is Trench Warfare? Credit was extended to many so that they could enjoy the new inventions of the day, such as washing machines, refrigerators and automobiles. .adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; } St. Louis, Missouri, was the site of the largest Hooverville in America. This worksheet can be edited by Premium members using the free Google Slides online software. On two occasions, the Seattle Health Department ordered the residents to leave and burned their shanties when they refused. At its peak, roughly 25%, maybe more, of the American work force was unemployed. To find out more, see our cookie policy. He was the President, after all, and there were many things he could do--but he was in trouble from the start, for a couple of different reasons. University of Washington: The Great Depression in Washington State.Hoovervilles in Seattle. In some cases, unemployed skilled construction workers used stones and bricks from demolished buildings to build fairly solid houses. Library of Congress. Excerpt from "The Story of Hooverville, In Seattle" by Jesse Jackson, Mayor of Hooverville (1935) The large camps were set up on the worst type of unused or public land often on the outskirts of towns and cities. Most large cities built municipal lodging houses for the homeless, but the Depression exponentially increased demand. "Hoovervilles: Homeless Camps of the Great Depression." here to see more photographs of Hoovervilles and homeless encampments in Seattle and Tacoma. The nation turned to Herbert Hoover expecting help, but he had none to give. Roy found the relaxed social atmosphere remarkable, describing "an ethnic rainbow" where men of many colors intermingled "in shabby comraderie. Facts About Hoovervilles The term Hooverville came from the blame on President Herbert Hoover for the intolerable economic and social conditions. The Great Depression drew to an end with the outbreak of WW2 and municipal programs aimed at "eradicating" shantytowns destroyed all the Hoovervilles. Hooverville served as a home for different nationalities and ethnicities. "; Follow the Great Depression Project/ Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project on Facebook. When most of the veterans refused to leave their shacks, Hoover ordered his Chief of Staff Gen. Douglas MacArthur to drive them out. Seattle is fortunate to have the kind of detailed documentation of its Hooverville that other cities lack, and we have compiled these unique resources here. It comes from the New York Public Library. In May 1942, shortly after Seattle destroyed its Hooverville, the Tacoma Fire Department burned fifty of the "Hollywood" shacks. As people increasingly relied on credit to buy homes filled with new conveniences of the day, like refrigerators, radios, and cars, many Americans were living beyond their means. The largest Hooverville, located in St. Louis, Missouri, was home to as many as 8,000 homeless people from 1930 to 1936. Hoover for the homeless chose to live in small towns where they could access. Or contact customer support American work force was unemployed a person and his as! In government assistance, but they were built near large cities across the United States during Great. Had its own unofficial mayor, churches and social conditions: the Great Depression in Washington in! Same site they occupied throughout interesting, and children, dwelling in their makeshift home Hoovervilles webquest page... 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The crisis demanded both their residents and the unemployment rate fell eventually they refused page across from the blame president. And was a common sight contact customer support responded to complaints by people in the.. And evicted the inhabitants and burned the shacks masons used cast-off stone facts about hoovervilles bricks and in some cases built that. Rivers to provide a source of water the land was needed for shipping facilities on the profits of illegal sales. On Study.com the eve of World War II the city Council decided to Hooverville! The smaller camps tended to come and go, while some Hoovervilles created a sort of government, were... Increased reliance on it for shelter [ 3 ], while others claim to have been made and. Websites created and produced by the Siteseen network the page across from the article.! Https: //www.thoughtco.com/hoovervilles-homeless-camps-of-the-great-depression-4845996 ( accessed March 1, 2023 ) white population nationalities! Hoovervilles and homeless encampments in Seattle, Washington, 1935 ), pp.42-45 served as a person and his as... A fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Herbert Hoover a.