Dust Bowl Segregation

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Desperation in the United States “Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape.” -William S. Burroughs. During the 1930s, America endured an economic and physically draining depression. The Dust Bowl was a series of storms that ruined farm land and contributed to a massive forced migration of countless people, all of whom were desperate to find work, food, and shelter. The other factor that caused destruction to the lives of many was the excessive power that was given to the government and banks, which allowed them to possess both the homes and land of poor farmers. Many of these people were largely dependent on the income from their farms, and involuntarily moved across the country in order to support their desperate families. These vicious dust storms and widespread government oppression were the …show more content…

According to Linda Alchin, “The forced migration of farmers from the Dust Bowl to California brought significant behavior changes by the Californians triggered by fear, suspicion and attempts to deny access to their state.” Many Californians did not understand what was happening in the Great Plains, and were angered by the Okie migration into their homeland. They believed that the travelers were relocating due to their lack of ability to succeed, which led to them looking down upon Okies as a whole. Alchin adds, “People were destitute and frightened by the events that were sweeping the nation…” Those who were forced to migrate were afraid of what they were to encounter, and those whose hometowns were becoming overpopulated were afraid of the strangers migrating there. Neither group was content with the way their lives had become, therefore neither group was capable of caring for anyone other than

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