Hoovervilles
The Great Depression
Define
Causes, Characteristics, Significance
Causes: During the Great Depression the American public was severely hit with unemployment and a worsening economy. The people who were hit the hardest were reduced to almost nothing. They all built what shelter they good in certain areas, which was just a bunch of old shacks and huts. The people living in these areas thought that President Hoover was to blame for all of their poverty, as a result the people ended up naming the areas "Hoovervilles". Most people built their shacks out of wood, cardboard, scraps of metal, or whatever materials were available to them. They usually had a small stove, a bed, and a few things to cook with.
Characteristics: One of the largest Hoovervilles was at the center of Central Park in New York City. The largest Hooverville was in Seattle and had a population of over 1,200, the people also claimed that they owned all of the land and even elected their own mayor
Significance: The Hoovervilles, among other things, caused many citizens to hate president Hoover which was one of the main reasons he lost the election for his second term to Franklin Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt is often credited with helping get the US out of the Great Depression and without Hoovervilles this may have never happened.