Dust Bowl Research Paper

953 Words4 Pages
Dust storms rushed into the Great Plains in January of 1932, coating the area like snow and devastating all in their path. Farmers continued to till and seed land because they thought the drought would culminate at anytime. However, their actions had more impact on the situation as storm frequency intensified. The storms affected all inhabitants of the region, both socially and economically. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sought not only to shelter affected farmers, but also to teach them how to avoid recurrence. The Dust Bowl, which devastated the Great Plains, forced the United States to revise their economic policies. For the first time, the government gained a new role, providing direct assistance to farmers. The Dust Bowl also compelled…show more content…
Nearly one fifth of every thousand farms were foreclosed during 1930 and 1935. When looking at their damaged, broken land many decided to go to someplace with prosperity. For 306,000 families of refugees and residents, California was the goal. Despite popular belief, the travelers that went to California from the Great Plains were not exclusively composed of farmers and their families. In fact, the ratio between urban and agricultural migrants was half and half; however, it was later discovered that only one-third of the migrants came to California because they were fleeing the Dust Bowl. Your wealth determined what kind of transportation you used to reach California. Poverty stricken residents fleeing the Great Plains for California traveled on foot, on freight trains, and some even hitchhiked. Wealthy residents rode on trains or buses, but the main mode of transportation was driving. The Golden State proved to be less prosperous and promising, than it had seemed. Farming in particular was very difficult because it was so different from that with which they were familiar with. Migrants were not able to farm for themselves so they were forced to work for wealthy landowners. One…show more content…
The California promise brought millions of people to the state, including many country singers like Woody Guthrie. The target audience for the new music was the South and rustic Midwest because few Californians enjoyed it. The “singing cowboy craze,” as it eventually came to be known, gave jobless and hopeless migrants a chance to shine. Everyone was eager to exhibit his or her gifts, or talents. It is said that even as the music progressed, it “belonged to the Okies.” The musicians made reference to Southwest in both songs and band names. The music essentially gave the migrants a purpose and a

More about Dust Bowl Research Paper

Open Document