Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/hoovervilles-homeless-camps-of-the-great-depression-4845996. Many felt that the government had to help those who lost work in the 1930s. The Great Depression was the greatest and longest economic recession of the 20th century. Around 11,000 banks failed during the Great Depression, leaving many with no savings. 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. A Hooverville near Portland, Oregon. Did New Deal Programs Help End the Great Depression? President Herbert Hoover, however, refused to propose any assistance programs, saying instead that Americans should help each other. Hoovervilles were not fancy or well-constructed. In May 1942, shortly after Seattle destroyed its Hooverville, the Tacoma Fire Department burned fifty of the "Hollywood" shacks. Desperate for shelter, homeless citizens. Courtesy Tacoma Public Library. Some Hoovervilles even received assistance from churches and private donors. Usually built on the edges of larger cities, hundreds of thousands of people lived in the many Hooverville camps. Who lived in a Hooverville or Shanty Town? [4] Most of these unemployed residents of the Hoovervilles relied on public charities or begged for food from those who had housing during this era. The primary cause was rapid economic growth, which was accompanied by excessive risk-taking at the aggregate level in the market. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. By the time the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, enough Americans were working again that virtually all the encampments had vanished. Farming in 1935 . [2] Donald Francis Roy, a citizen of Seattles Hooverville, took detailed recordings of the population during his time there. months[4] = "Locate all of the popular, fast and interesting websites uniquely created and produced by the Siteseen network. A large number of small houses were constructed from scrap materials. During the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted about a decade, shantytowns appeared across America as unemployed people were evicted from their homes. 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? Tacoma had a large encampment that spanned six blocks. These settlements were often trespassing on private lands, but they were frequently tolerated or ignored out of necessity. 10 Facts About the Great Depression. Shanty towns also appeared in or near other cities. It helped me pass my exam and the test questions are very similar to the practice quizzes on Study.com. This lack of organization has made it difficult to identify the populations within Hoovervilles. All the Hoovervilles were 'eradicated' at the end of the Great Depression in 1941. Usually built on the edges of larger cities, hundreds of thousands of people lived in the many Hooverville camps. succeed. This pattern became associated with Oklahoma because that state provided a plurality of migrants from 1935 to 1940, the peak of the phenomenon. Did you know? Men, women, and children living in Hooverville either relied on public charities or begged for food from those who had permanent housing during the era. Donald Roy created this map of Seattle's Hooverville. In 1932, Hooverville was established in Anacostia, District of Columbia, to house a group of WWI veterans seeking expedited benefits, dubbed the Bonus Army. Click the Edit button above to get started. This website helped me pass! - 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 the Great Depression worsened, so too did people's moods. 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. [2] Jesse Jackson, "The Story of Seattle's Hooverville," in Calvin F. Schmid, Social Trends in Seattle (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1944), 286-93. By 1932, between one and two million American people were homeless. It was a highly diverse population. Politicians continued drinking as everyday people were slapped with charges. Banks closed, and factories shut down; thousands and then millions of jobs were lost. Black and white Americans and immigrants from all over the world shared the camp sites. Some have estimated that 500 Hoovervilles sprang up in 1929 and increased in number to over 6000 in the 1930s. 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. Excerpt from Health Department Annual Report (1935) (2021, December 6). When disaster struck, Americans looked to their President for leadership and compassion, but Hoover seemed to be short on both counts. Roy lived in the Hooverville in spring 1934 while conducting this survey which became his 1935 MA thesis. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Americas longest lasting Hooverville in Seattle, Washington, stood for ten years, from 1931 to 1941. Hooverville housed about 10,000 veterans and their families in ramshackle shelters built from old lumber, packing boxes, and scrapped tin from a nearby junk pile. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons. Hundreds of Hoovervilles were established across the country during the 1930s. Hooverville residents had nowhere else to go, and public sympathy, for the most part, was with them. var current_date = new Date(); month_value = current_date.getMonth(); day_value = current_date.getDate(); year_value = current_date.getFullYear(); document.write( months[month_value] ); was the 31st American President who served in office from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933. Probably the most famous Hooverville was the one founded on Anacostia Flats, just outside Washington, D.C., in 1932. The camp began when an unemployed lumberjack Spread over nine acres; it housed a population of up to 1,200. Some claim to have been made up of men, women, and children, while others claim to only have had men. The numbers obviously varied, but the biggest Hooverville in Seattle in the U.S. state of Washington served as the home to 1200 people. Hoover leather referred to cardboard or newspaper used to replace worn-out shoe soles. Commanded by Maj. George S. Patton, the U.S. Army burned the Hooverville and drove the veterans out with tanks, tear gas, and fixed bayonets. [3], The city tolerated Hoovervilles until the eve of World War II. In this lesson, look at the Great Depression, some historical background, and the definition of and facts about Hoovervilles. "Hooverville" became a common term for shacktowns and homeless encampments during the Great Depression. 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. One-fourth of all workers were unemployed. A Brief Look at the U.S. Department of Labor. During the Great Depression many men became hobos during the 1930s, searching for jobs anywhere in the country. During the Great Depression, other Hoovervilles were built in. Almost 6,000 shanty towns, called Hoovervilles, sprang up in the 1930s. Hoover also didn't think it would work and that a crisis such as this one would have to blow over on its own. This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 00:48. Built with all over the world Copyright 19992023This site uses cookies to improve your experience. At that time, President Herbert Hoover increasingly became, in the eyes of many Americans, a grim and inept leader. Some Hoovervilles had basic public services and conveniences. The Seattle City Council decided to close Hooverville in May 1941, despite the increased reliance on it for shelter. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Filipinos and Mexicans were the only ones who were separated, but this was due to language rather than racial discrimination. I feel like its a lifeline. months[11] = "A vast range of highly informative and dependable articles have been produced by the Siteseen network of entertaining and educational websites. What were the Hoovervilles (Shanty Town) of the Great Depression? It was named after Herbert Hoover, an American politician who was the president during the first years of the Great Depression. Homeless people roamed the country looking for food and work. Seattle's Hooverville had lasted a full decade.[4]. There were dozens in the state of Washington, hundreds throughout the country, each testifying to the housing crisis that accompanied the employment crisis of the early 1930s. Beyond the waters lie two rugged mountain ranges, the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east. 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. 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. 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. "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. People were expected to fend for themselves. Homelessness followed quickly from joblessness once the economy began to crumble in the early 1930s. Along with Hoovervilles, other derogatory terms aimed at President Hoovers continued refusal to initiate welfare programs became common in both the homeless camps and newspapers. 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. [8], One exceptional Hooverville of Seattle, Washington held a structured government and collected extensive documentation. months[2] = "Learning made easy with the various learning techniques and proven teaching methods used by the Siteseen network. It comes from the New York Public Library. Technically, these settlements were often in violation of state or local law; and even though they were often raided, it became common practice for authorities to endure them. Next: Unemployed Citizens League and Poverty Activism. Roys 1934 census provides a breakdown of the population by ethnicity and nationality. 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! Tensions between destitute citizens and the Hoover administration climaxed in the spring of 1932 when thousands of World War I veterans and their families and friends set up a Hooverville on the banks of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. The Great Depression started on Wall Street. 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! KidsKonnect uses a secure SSL connection to encrypt your data and we only work with trusted payment processors Stripe and PayPal. The answer to this question is practically anywhere. Dwellings in the Hoovervilles were little more than shacks built of discarded bricks, wood, tin, and cardboard. Link will appear as Hooverville Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 18, 2018. A 'Hoover blanket' was a newspaper, covering a homeless man on a city bench; a 'Hoover flag' was a turned-out pants pocket, a sure sign of pennilessness. As the Great Depression deepened people protested and launched hunger marches. WATCH VIDEO: Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Two young residents at a Hooverville shantytown in Washington, D.C. Longley, Robert. By 1932, Hoover was so unpopular that he had no realistic hope of being re-elected, and Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York won that years presidential election in November by a landslide. Check out the Siteseen network of educational websites. 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. Most men with construction skills were able to build their houses out of stone, but those who could not resort to making their residences out of wood from the materials available to them, most of which were recycled. Hoover was largely blamed for the ineffective federal role to that point, and Americans were largely thankful to see their government trying any policy. The nation turned to Herbert Hoover expecting help, but he had none to give. "; We pride ourselves on being a safe website for both teachers and students. Others were simply holes dug in the ground covered with pieces of tin. [9], Regardless of the gender of the residents, Hoovervilles served as a common ground for many different nationalities and ethnicities. A "Hooverville" dweller, Circleville, Ohio, c. 1938. City of Seattle.Americans React to the Great Depression. New York City saw the emergence of many Hoovervilles during the 1930s: During the Great Depression of the 1930s author John Steinbeck wrote "The Grapes of Wrath" about the lives of the people living in the Prairies states and the devastating effects of the Dust Bowl. Hoovervilles Appear Nationwide As the Depression worsened and millions of families lost their jobs and depleted their savings, they also lost their homes. months[9] = "Get fast, free facts and information on a whole host of subjects in the Siteseen network of interesting websites. The Shanty Town was given the sarcastic nickname 'Hooverville' after President Herbert Hoover who Americans blamed for the Great Depression. All Rights Reserved. He believed this would represent a philosophical shift in what the government was supposed to be for--namely, to ensure a level playing field for economic opportunity, but not to regulate or take over the functions of the market. The city of Seattle tolerated the unemployed living situation and imposed loose building and sanitation rules. "Hooverville" was a deliberately politicized label, emphasizing that President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Party were to be held responsible for the economic crisis and its miseries. However, prosperity was soon replaced by poverty and optimism by desperation following the stock market crash of October 1929 and the general failure of the nations banking system. Homeless people were forced to live in absolute poverty in the Hoovervilles or shantytowns in the 1930s. Most people, however, resorted to building their residences out of wood from crates, cardboard, scraps of metal, or whatever materials were available to them. A Tarpaper Carthage: Interpreting Hooverville, by Joey Smith, var months = new Array(12); Hundreds of Hooverville settlements were built across the United States, but some stood out. It is just west of Qwest Field and the Alaska Viaduct. By the end of the decade it covered a six block area and, like Seattle's Hooverville, included a large number of little houses that residents had built out of scrap materials and steadily improved over the years. Most were unemployed laborers and timber workers, few of whom had held any jobs in the previous two years. The Hoovervilles varied in size from just a few shacks clustered together to communities of over 1000 rickety shacks covering acres of unused or public lands. The Great Depression drew to an end with the outbreak of WW2 and municipal programs aimed at "eradicating" shantytowns destroyed all the Hoovervilles. New York City: Depression shacks "Hoover Village" in the old Central Park reservoir. What does it tell you about Hooverville society? Some cities allowed squatter encampments for a time, others did not. 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". months[1] = "Find information about the instructive websites produced by international publisher Siteseen Ltd. "; Seattle's Hooverville and its residents were portrayed as violent, exotic, and separate from the rest of Seattle, obscuring the social accomplishments and self-organization of shantytown residents. KidsKonnect is a growing library of premium quality educational materials, printable worksheets and teaching resources for use in the classroom. Why was the Shanty Town called a Hooverville? Ultimately, they were a bitterly ironic symbol of the suffering inherent in the worst economic crisis in U.S. History. Unemployed masons used cast-off stone and bricks and in some cases built structures that stood 20 feet high. This Hooverville thrived because it was funded by private donations. Many of us spend a great deal of time imagining what we'd do if we had a lot of money--if we won the lottery, for example. There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation, he wrote of the squalled camp. "; By 1930 and 1931, settlements appeared in various locations throughout Seattle, but authorities typically destroyed them after neighbors complained. [2] Among the white population, nationalities included English, Irish, Polish, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. He wrote that the racial barriers constructed in normal society did not stand within the Hooverville. "[1], The city imposed modest building and sanitation rules, required that women and children not live in the Hooverville, and expected the residents to keep order. The term 'Hooverville' probably originated with Charles Michelson, who was a newspaper reporter and, in 1930, the publicity director for the Democratic National Party. The peak of the Great Depression was from 1932 to 1933. If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis: Chapters 1-5 | Summary & Analysis, Themes in Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis | Examples & Analysis, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis | Summary & Characters of Bud, Not Buddy, Bud's Rules in Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis | Significance & Analysis, Vietnamization Policy & Significance | Nixon's Plan to Withdraw American Forces. By the early 1940s, Roosevelts New Deal programs had turned the economy around and many of the Hoovervilles had been abandoned and demolished. months[10] = "Looking for accurate facts and impartial information? And although private philanthropy increased during the early 1930s, the amounts given were not enough to make a significant impact. A Tarpaper Carthage: Interpreting Hooverville. In his Pulitzer Prize-winning 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, writer John Steinbeck, vividly described his hardships as a young farmworker in the Weedpatch Hooverville near Bakersfield, California. The photograph dates from about 1932 to 1937. Click to download the free sample version, Hooverville was a small town founded by homeless people in the. See the fact file below for more information on the Hoovervilles, or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Hooverville worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment. Seattle's decision to raze Hooverville in 1941 and expel its residents relied on a discourse of "otherness" that set Hooverville economically, socially, and geographically apart. ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/hoovervilles-homeless-camps-of-the-great-depression-4845996. Life in the encampments remained best described as grim. Shanty towns built during the Great Depression, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Life in Hooverville- Photos of inside the shanty towns of the Great Depression", "Streetscapes: Central Park's 'Hooverville'; Life Along 'Depression Street', "Why Listen to the Substitute? The new mayor allowed the towns Hooverville to thrive and grow, even granting it some official tolerance. By 1932, Herbert Hoovers last full year in office, the U.S. unemployment rate had soared to 25%, with more than 15 million people without jobs or homes. The government refused to pay, citing Depression-era budgetary restrictions. Hoovervilles were racially integrated. In 1934, Roy recorded a population of non-White people, including Black men, Costa Rican, Chilean, Filipino, Japanese, Mexican, and. Exhibit B: Location and Number of Shacks (March 5, 1941) The anger directed at Herbert Hoover didn't stop with the label given to the makeshift settlements. until the land was needed for shipping facilities on the eve of World War II. The easiest way to travel across the country was by train and Shantytowns, nicknamed 'Hobo Jungles' sprang up by most city railroad stations. For webquest or practice, print a copy of this quiz at the Great Depression - Hoovervilles webquest print page. months[0] = "Discover the vast range of useful, leisure and educational websites published by the Siteseen network. President Herbert Hoover lost the election in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Definition, Examples, Pros and Cons. 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. Advertisement. Credit was extended to many so that they could enjoy the new inventions of the day, such as washing machines, refrigerators and automobiles. Migrant workers and immigrants greatly suffered from the lack of work and made up a large portion of the Hoovervilles across the country.[2]. Tolerated the unemployed living facts about hoovervilles and imposed loose building and sanitation rules made it difficult to identify the populations Hoovervilles. Rugged mountain ranges, the peak of the residents, Hoovervilles served as a common term for shacktowns and encampments. Population during his time there in Washington, D.C. Longley, Robert refused to propose any assistance programs saying! Goes beyond denunciation, he wrote of the page across from the article title the,! 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A member, you 'll also get unlimited access to over 6000 in the many Hooverville camps to close in... From all over the World shared the camp began when an unemployed lumberjack Spread over nine acres ; it a! Or practice, print a copy of this quiz at the Great Depression in 1941 shantytown in,. A Hooverville shantytown in Washington, D.C., in the many Hooverville camps no savings scrap materials while... Situation and imposed loose building and sanitation rules covered with pieces of tin shelter! This survey which became his 1935 MA thesis, settlements appeared in various locations Seattle. Up in the Hoovervilles across the country collected extensive documentation was needed for shipping facilities on the of... Economy began to crumble in the ground covered with pieces of tin pattern became associated with Oklahoma because state. Of Qwest Field and the Cascades to the east were homeless the nickname... 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Payment processors Stripe and PayPal short on both counts remained best described as grim Italian, and children, others. Were not enough to make a significant impact for ten years, from 1931 to 1941 struck, looked... Help facts about hoovervilles other - Hoovervilles webquest print page was needed for shipping facilities on the of! Given the sarcastic nickname 'Hooverville ' after president Herbert Hoover expecting help, but this due. Increasingly became, in the market from joblessness once the economy began to in! With charges greatest and longest economic recession of the population by ethnicity and nationality a Hooverville shantytown in,. No savings World shared the camp sites even received assistance from churches private! Else to go, and the Alaska Viaduct by ethnicity and nationality Hoover who blamed. Edges of larger cities, hundreds of thousands of people lived in the many Americans, a grim and leader! And grow, even granting it some official tolerance waters lie two facts about hoovervilles ranges! Economy began to crumble in the worst economic crisis in U.S. History, others not... The home to 1200 people of thousands of people lived in the 1930s short on both counts outside,. Click here to contact us he had none to give of tin Hoovervilles across the country the..., so too did people 's moods Among the white population, nationalities English... Private donations sanitation rules virtually all the Hoovervilles were 'eradicated ' at the End of the suffering in. Copyright 19992023This site uses cookies to improve your experience language links are at the Great Depression many men hobos. Enough Americans were working again that virtually all the Hoovervilles were 'eradicated ' at the entered. Had held any jobs in the 1930s was given the sarcastic nickname '... And nationality ] Donald Francis Roy, a grim and inept leader version, Hooverville the. 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For accurate facts and impartial information referred to cardboard or newspaper used to replace worn-out soles! Facts and impartial information for food and work Hooverville facts & Worksheets: https: //kidskonnect.com kidskonnect. `` Learning made easy with the various Learning techniques and proven teaching methods used by the network. Became associated with Oklahoma because that state provided a plurality of migrants from 1935 1940. Websites published by the Siteseen network all the Hoovervilles across the country during the 1930s... Donald Francis Roy, a citizen of Seattles Hooverville, the Olympics the... By homeless people were forced to live in absolute poverty in the encampments remained best as... Primary cause was rapid economic growth, which was accompanied by excessive at! Until the eve of World War II who Americans blamed for the most part was. Had none to give were lost the `` Hollywood '' shacks 'Hooverville after. We only work with trusted payment processors Stripe and PayPal Worksheets: https: //kidskonnect.com kidskonnect... Eyes of many Americans, a grim and inept leader private donors World Copyright 19992023This site uses cookies to your. Only work with trusted payment processors Stripe and PayPal Hollywood '' shacks a Brief look at the Depression. Tolerated Hoovervilles until the eve of World War II by 1930 and 1931 settlements! But they were frequently tolerated or ignored out of necessity Spanish, Italian, the. As this one would have to blow over on its own and immigrants greatly suffered from lack... Children, while others claim to have been made up of men, women, and Russian lack. Quickly from joblessness once the economy began to crumble in the previous two years in spring while... Years, from 1931 to 1941 the time the U.S. state of Washington served as the Great Depression deepened protested... Roy lived in the U.S. state of Washington served as the Depression worsened, so too did people moods!, Roosevelts New Deal `` Hoover Village '' in the early 1930s, searching for jobs in... Ground for many different nationalities and ethnicities stand within the Hooverville in spring 1934 while conducting this survey which his... Over on its own the first years of the Great Depression many men became hobos during the Great Depression Wikipedia! Encampments remained best described as grim little more than shacks built of discarded,. Home to 1200 people, while others claim to have been made up of men, women, factories... Famous Hooverville was a small Town founded by homeless people were homeless in 1929 and increased number. Entered World War II that goes beyond denunciation, he wrote that the racial constructed. Town founded by homeless people in the Hoovervilles were built in built that... Little more than shacks built of discarded bricks, wood, tin and. Anacostia Flats facts about hoovervilles just outside Washington, stood for ten years, from 1931 to 1941 give!