When the drought hit the Great Plains, roughly one-third of the farmers left their homes and headed to the mild climate of California in search of migrant work. Known as the Okies — the moniker referred to any poor migrant from the Dust Bowl region since only about 20 percent were from Oklahoma — they left behind the parched lands and economic despair.
Many were used to financial stability and home amenities such as indoor plumbing, but had become financially indebted after purchasing mechanized farming equipment and suffering crop failures. They faced foreclosure on home and farm.
California didn't welcome the influx of Okies. Since the number of migrant workers outnumbered the available jobs, tensions grew between Californians and laborers, and public health concerns rose as California's infrastructure became overtaxed.
The New Deal
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the first of several mortgage and farming relief acts under the New Deal aimed to reduce foreclosures and keep farms afloat during the drought. But by the end of 1934, roughly 35 million acres (14 million hectares) of farmland were ruined, and the topsoil covering 100 million acres (40 million hectares) had blown away [source: Dyer].
Under the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, the government reserved 140 million acres (57 million hectares) as protected federal lands. Grazing and planting would be monitored to encourage land rehabilitation and conservation.
Additionally, in the early 1930s, the government launched the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC), one of the most successful New Deal programs. Three million young men volunteered for forestry and conservation work for the CCC. Called Roosevelt's "Forest Army," they planted trees, dug ditches and built reservoirs — work that would contribute to flood control, water conservation and prevent further soil erosion.
Between 1933 and 1935, the government introduced many more programs and agencies to help people affected by the Dust Bowl, including efforts like the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, the Resettlement Administration, the Farm Security Administration, the Land Utilization Program and the Drought Relief Service.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program started under the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, is one of the best-known New Deal programs. The WPA was a work relief program that employed more than 8.5 million people to build roads, bridges, airports, public parks and buildings.
The Soil Conservation Act of 1935
It took millions of tons of dirt and debris blowing from the Plains all the way into Washington D.C., known as "Black Sunday," to move Congress to pass the Soil Conservation Act and establish the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) under the Department of Agriculture.
The SCS (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service) promoted healthy soil management and farming practices and paid farmers to put such methods to work on their farms. The legacy of the Service's practices, such as irrigation, crop diversity and no-till farming, continue in the Plains today.
FAQs
Contributing Factors. Due to low crop prices and high machinery costs, more submarginal lands were put into production. Farmers also started to abandon soil conservation practices. These events laid the groundwork for the severe soil erosion that would cause the Dust Bowl.
What caused the Dust Bowl answer? ›
Economic depression coupled with extended drought, unusually high temperatures, poor agricultural practices and the resulting wind erosion all contributed to making the Dust Bowl. The conditions that led to the Dust Bowl began during the early 1920s.
What caused the Dust Bowl Dust Bowl Mini Q? ›
A Dry, Dusty Spell
There were four distinct droughts: 1930-31, 1934, 1936, 1939-40. Combined with record high temperatures, these droughts meant there was not enough water to refill rivers and aquifers. Riverbanks receded, leading to dry basins. The Great Plains turned into a desert.
What caused the dust bowl dbq answers? ›
The Dust Bowl was caused by mechanization, drought, and a significant loss of grass. As the years went by, farmers gained more advanced machines to harvest their crops. When the farmers gained new machines, they ended up over farming their land because the machines could harvest more crops in shorter time.
How do these charts help answer the question "What caused the dust bowl"? ›
4. How do these charts together help answer the question, "What caused the Dust Bowl?" - The charts together answer the question of what caused the Dust Bowl because it shows how the below average rainfall affected the areas and how important it is for them to have at least 20 inches of rainfall.
What is one thing that caused the Dust Bowl? ›
Factors of the Dust Bowl
During the summers of 1934, 1936 and 1939-40, little rain fell, creating drought conditions in Iowa and across the Midwest. Extreme high temperatures topped 100 degrees sometimes for weeks at a time.
What caused the Dust Bowl essay? ›
The Dust Bowl was caused by a combination of severe drought and decades of poor agricultural practices on the Great Plains. Farmers plowed up vast areas of native grasses for wheat production, leaving the topsoil vulnerable to erosion when the drought hit in the 1930s.
What caused the Dust Bowl quizlet? ›
3 years of hot weather, droughts and excessive farming were the main causes of the great dust bowl. in 1934, the temperature reached over 100 degrees for weeks. the farmers crops withered and dried up and rivers and wells ran dry. it caused the soil to harden and crack and the great winds caused dust storms.
What was the main cause of the Dust Bowl for kids? ›
The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was caused by a combination of over-grazing, planting too many crops, soil erosion, drought, and high winds. These problems combined to cause great amounts of dust to be blown over many states and killed crops, animals, and people in the process.
What event caused the Dust Bowl? ›
Crops began to fail with the onset of drought in 1931, exposing the bare, over-plowed farmland. Without deep-rooted prairie grasses to hold the soil in place, it began to blow away. Eroding soil led to massive dust storms and economic devastation—especially in the Southern Plains.
During the Great Depression, there was a severe drought in the Great Plains. Strong prairie winds picked up the topsoil and spread dust everywhere. Many farm families packed everything up and moved west.
How many people left because of the Dust Bowl? ›
The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history. By 1940, 2.5 million people had moved out of the Plains states; of those, 200,000 moved to California. When they reached the border, they did not receive a warm welcome as described in this 1935 excerpt from Collier's magazine.
How long did the Dust Bowl last? ›
Between 1930 and 1940, the southwestern Great Plains region of the United States suffered a severe drought. Once a semi-arid grassland, the treeless plains became home to thousands of settlers when, in 1862, Congress passed the Homestead Act.
What caused the Dust Bowl simple answer? ›
Due to low crop prices and high machinery costs, more submarginal lands were put into production. Farmers also started to abandon soil conservation practices. These events laid the groundwork for the severe soil erosion that would cause the Dust Bowl.
Was the dust bowl caused by humans? ›
As the Great Depression sets in, farmers on the Great Plains begin to feel its effects. A combination of natural and man-made factors begins to turn the profitable farming land into a vast wasteland. The effect of these factors on individuals and families is documented.
What are four causes of the dust bowl that Professor Hurt identifies? ›
4) What are 4 causes of the Dust Bowl that Professor Hurt identifies? The four causes that he said are wind erosion, drought, incessant wind, modern farming techniques, and the native sod breaking down. 5) In what ways are Worster and Hurt's accounts different? Worster places blame on the government as the cause .
Was there a solution to the Dust Bowl? ›
The extensive work re-plowing the land into furrows, planting trees in shelterbelts, and other conservation methods has resulted in a 65 percent reduction in the amount of soil blowing.
Could the Dust Bowl happen again? ›
The Return of the Dust Bowl
until 2021, when average temperatures reached 74 F (23.3 C). The third hottest summer on record was in 2022. Scientific studies predict dustbowl level temperatures are now two and a half times more likely to happen thanks to climate change.
