Chapter 22 Homework Questions
Topic Question: What contributed to the Great Depression?
1.

2. The Presidential Election of 1928 included Alfred E Smith for the Democrats and
Herbert Hoover for the Republicans. The main factor that affected the outcome of the
election was the political party of the candidates. Republicans had brought the United
States to economic prosperity, and Americans wanted thigns to continue the way that
they had been going. Also, Smith had a heavy Brooklyn accent, was opposed to
prohibition, and was a Catholic.
3. Practices contributing to a volatile stock market included increased speculation and
buying on margin by consumers. Buying on margin could reak havok on investors if
prices dropped.
4. Events that Lead up to Black Tuesday:
	1. Early Sep. 1929 : prices peak and begin to decline. Confidence in teh market	
		wavers
	2.  Oct. 24. : Stock market takes a deep plunge, numerous investors unloaded
		shares.
	On Black Friday, a mad rush to sell stock begins. This causes stock prices to drop
drastically. Investors buying on margin fell into debt.Many people lost life savings.
5. The main causes of the Great Depression include:
an old and decaying industrial base 
a crises in teh farm sector
the availability of easy credit
an unequal distribution of income.
6. The Government kept interest rates low, making debt accumulation easier.
7. The “Dow” is used as a barometer of the stock market by taking an average of 30
stocks trading on the NYSE.	
8. The financial collapsecaused banks to fail due to mass withdrawlls. IT caused the
Gross national Product to be cut nearly in half, numerous businesses went bankrupt.
Unemployment soared to 25 percent.
9. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff made the depression worse by setting high tarriffs thus
preventing other countries from earing US currency to by American exports.
Unemployment was worsened.
Thesis: Economic problems of a fragile economy during the 1920’s lead to the Great
Depression in the next decade.

Section 2
1. 
	a. Numerous people who could not afford rent became homeless, inhabiting the
streets. Shacks were constructed out of scrap materials, forming shantytowns. Soup
Kitchens and bread lines that offered free food were available to the innumerable
homeless.
	b. The Depression borught an increase in racial violence against blacks.
Generally, unemployed whites had high anti-latino, anti-black sentiment. Thousands of
Latino’s were either sent back or voluntarily moved back to Mexico.
	c. Farmers lost land due to debt caused by falling stock prices.One advantage,
farmers could grow food to feed families. Many farmers forced into tenant farming.
The Dust Bowl