dust bowl powerpoint

Slide 1: 

150,000 sq. miles

Timeline of the Dust Bowl : 

Timeline of the Dust Bowl 1934 MayGreat dust storms spread from the Dust Bowl area. The drought is the worst ever in U.S. history, covering more than 75 percent of the country and affecting 27 states severely.

1935 : 

1935 April 27Congress declares soil erosion "a national menace" & establishes the Soil Conservation Service in the Department of Agriculture. Farming techniques such as strip cropping, terracing, crop rotation, contour plowing, and cover crops were proposed. Farmers were paid to practice soil-conserving farming techniques.

1937 : 

1937 FDR's Shelterbelt Project begins. The project called for large-scale planting of trees across the Great Plains, stretching in a 100-mile wide zone from Canada to northern Texas, to protect the land from erosion

1938 : 

1938 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. However, the drought continued.

1939 : 

1939 In the fall, the rain comes, finally bringing an end to the drought. During the next few years, with the coming of World War II, the country is pulled out of the Depression

What were the effects? : 

What were the effects?

“Get your kicks on Route 66” : 

“Get your kicks on Route 66” 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.

Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” : 

Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother”

John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” : 

John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” Describes the life of one family,The Joads, who lived on a farm destroyed by the Dust Bowl. They moved to California and became migrant farmworkers. This book epitomized the tragedy of the Great Depression Brought up the idea of Government responsibility for its citizens- “Are you your brother’s keeper?”

Causes/Effects of the Dust Bowl : 

Causes/Effects of the Dust Bowl Causes Drought Poor farming methods soil erosion Effects Depopulation of rural areas Migration Vagrancy Farmers became migrant workers Creation of AAA, FSA Better farming methods