Hooverville Dbq

Rough Draft

Larry Heitmeier

Period 3

In America the Great Depression hit hard especially in the 1930’s. People lost their jobs and then their homes. When the depression hit everyone blamed President Hoover for all of the homelessness. Hoovervilles are an important part of history; some important things about hoovervilles are how they started and who it involved.

The Great Depression was most likely the most severe and enduring economic crashes in the 20th Century (Source 1). That included a quick drop in the supply and demand of goods and services along with a big rise in unemployment (Source 1). Many things were the cause of the Great Depression, one is the U.S. stock market crash (Source 1). And two is the widespread failure in the American bank system

St. Louis, Missouri had one of the largest and long lasting Hoovervilles (Source 2). There were also many in Washington, hundreds throughout the country (Source 2). The main Hooverville in Seattle was one of the largest, long-lasting and best documented in America (Source 2). In Seattle many shacks showed up in many places (Source 2). In late 1935, the city Health Department estimated that 4,000 to 5,000 people were living in shack towns (Source 2). The city tolerated Hoovervilles before World War II (Source 2). In April, residents of the main shack towns were given notice to leave by May 1 (Source 2). Police officers drenches the little shacks with kerosene and lit them as people watched (Source 2). Tacoma hosted a large Hooverville near the city garbage dump. Residents called it “Hollywood-on-the-Tideflats” (Source 2). By the end of a decade it covered a six block area (Source 2). In May 1942, after Seattle destroyed its Hoovervilles, the Tacoma Fire Dept. burned fifty “Hollywood” shacks (Source 2). But the residents rebuilt and it remained intact through World War II (Source 2). Hoovervilles were common all over the United States especially in