Friday, November 15, 2019

Hoovervilles

        The Great Depression was, and still is, one of the largest economic depressions in both American and global history. This was due to a collection of economic crises that, when combined, produced an economic depression lasting over a decade. As a result of the depression, many people lost their jobs and could not find another job so they were forced to live with little to no income. For example, in 1933, 15 million Americans were out of a job which is about a quarter of all American workers. Furthermore, due to income inequality caused by industrialization during the 1920’s, many workers struggled to once they lost their jobs. A term coined by journalist Charles Michelson, Hoovervilles appeared as a result of the Great Depression. These were small shantytowns built by people who had lost their jobs, and consequently their houses, during the depression. The name stems from the name of President Herbert Hoover who many blame for the Great Depression due to him not aiding the people during this tough time. 

Hoovervilles were crude establishments that provided feeble housing for those who had lost everything during the depression. Inhabitants often made these out of materials they could easily obtain such as cardboard, tar paper, glass, lumber, and tin. Sometimes, people were able to get bricks and stone and managed to build buildings upwards of 20 feet high. As one can imagine, these structures would’ve been far from sturdy and many were always being rebuilt. Sometimes, people couldn’t get their hands on these materials and would simply dig a hole in the ground and make a makeshift roof to put over it during weather patterns. Other times, people would make a home for themselves in other structures such as empty water mains.

Even though Hoovervilles were crude establishments, many ended up functioning in ways similar to a city or town. They often ranged from hundreds to thousands of inhabitants and were situated near rivers for water and other resources. Some had unofficial mayors and spokespeople along with church groups and social organizations as a way to help organize the inhabitants of these Hoovervilles. Even though they were organized to some degree, sanitary problems were still prevalent throughout and government agencies couldn’t do much about it. For the most part, the government stayed out of the affairs of Hoovervilles however there were instances where they were raided by authorities.

Hoovervilles are often thought of as a thing of the past but in fact these types of establishments seem to show up time and time again during economic depressions. For example, during the recession of 2008 and 2009, there was a rise in shantytowns in the United States and these establishments were often compared to Hoovervilles. This was caused by a surge in homelessness--about 3.4 million people in 2008 (a 35% increase). As America approaches another potential economic recession, we may see these Hoovervilles rise again in the near future.

Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/hoovervilles
https://depts.washington.edu/depress/hooverville.shtml
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2009/03/pers-m27.html

4 comments:

  1. The prominence of these Hoovervilles further emphasizes the deplorable condition of the US during the Great Depression, as shantytowns are features most strongly associated with developing countries. Although shantytowns have dropped in frequency in the US, slums are still present, and may just be a more modern replacement of shantytowns. Skid Row in Los Angeles would be a good example of such.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skid_Row,_Los_Angeles

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  2. I thought your post was concise and very interesting to read. Hoovervilles were not raided by government authorities as much because they did not want to deal with the mess and the health issues if they removed the Hooverville. Doing such action would also cause more people to be homeless as this was their home during the great depression.

    Source:
    https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1642.html

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  3. I felt that your post did a great job of explaining the Great Depression and its connection to the more recent 2008-2009 recession. As mentioned, there was a surge of homelessness in the latter event. However, the peak of unemployment rates during the recession, which was 10.2% (October 2009), was nowhere near that of the depression, which reached 24.9% in 1933.

    https://www.thebalance.com/unemployment-rate-by-year-3305506

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  4. I enjoyed your explanation of the Hoovervilles that appeared during the Great Depression. I found it interesting that the Democrats coined many terms after Hoover, such as a “Hoover blanket”, a sheet of newspaper draped over as a blanket for the homeless; a “Hoover flag”, an empty pocket turned inside out; “Hoover leather”, the cardboard that lined the shoe when the sole wore through, and a “Hoover wagon”, an automobile with its engine removed that was pulled by horses. All of these coined terms represent the desperate economic conditions people lived in during the Hoover Administration, where Hoover did little to alleviate unemployment and poverty.

    https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/hoover-2.html
    https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/hoovervilles

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