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The Psychologicat Effects of the Dust Bowl

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The Psychologicat Effects of the Dust Bowl
The Psychological Affects of the Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl was an added devastation accompanying the Great Depression. It lasted from 1930 to 1939 and is sometimes referred to as the “Dirty Thirties”. (Bonnifield) Lack of crop rotation and a heavy drought caused this trying time in American history. Over one third of the United States was swallowed up by dust storms with the concentration of storms being located in northern Texas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, the entire western half of Kansas, south east Colorado, and north east New Mexico. (Gazit) One psychological affect experienced as a result of this great historic disaster must have been depression.

With over a decade of soil misuse and a severe drought that started in 1930 the top soil virtually turned to dust and blew away with the wind. This catastrophe could have been adverted with the practice of crop rotation. Crop rotation is a technique that has been traced back to Roman times. This method prevents the

buildup of pests and/or pathogens. A known occurrence when the same crop is used season after season. Specifically the rotation of deep rooted and shallow rooted crops would have helped to prevent this era in American history. This grave agricultural mistake served to devastate a large population of people.

Because of the lack of top soil crops could not grow therefore farmers and their families became stricken with poverty. Soon after the dust started blowing away it created dust storms which their most fierce covered the sky and there was little to no visibility on the ground, even worse than a blizzard of today the storms were given the name “Black Blizzard” (Gazit). Entire farm machinery virtually disappeared under a blanket of dust deposits left behind by these storms. Even with the aid of relief programs from the federal government entire families still had to pick up and leave behind their land, homes, and way of life. Most of these families were referred to as


Cited: "About The Dust Bowl." Welcome to English « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . "Biography Page." Welcome to the Official Woody Guthrie Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Bonnifield, Paul. “May, it seemed like the wind, and dirt had been blowing for an. "1930 ' Dust Bowl." cimarron county chamber of commerce. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Cook, Ben, Ron Miller, and Richard Seager. "Dust storms in the 1930s Dust Bowl." Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory | . N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . "Drought in the Dust Bowl Years." Welcome to the National Drought Mitigation Center website!. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Dunn, Geoffrey. "New Times - San Luis Obispo - Cover Story - Photographic license." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Freedman, Russell. Children of the Great Depression . New York: Clarion Books, 2005. Print. Ganzel, Bill. "The Dust Bowl of the 1930s." The Wessels Living History Farm, the Story of Agricultural Innovation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Gazit, Chana. " WGBH American Experience . Surviving the Dust Bowl . Complete Program Transcript | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Gerrig, Richard J., and Philip G. Zimbardo. Psychology and life . 19th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. Print. Gutierrez, Thelma, and Wayne Drash CNN. "Girl from iconic Great Depression photo: 'We were ashamed ' - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Hariman, Robert, and John Louis Lucaites. No caption needed: iconic photographs, public culture, and liberal democracy. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2007. Print. "John Steinbeck Biography - Biography.com." Biography.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Popper, Deborah Epstein, and Frank J. Popper. "Outstanding Articles." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . RuneHQVideos. "YouTube-Woody Guthrie - Dust Bowl Blues ." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Steinbeck, John. The grapes of wrath . New York: Viking Press, 1939. Print. s "The Dust Bowl." United States History " WGBH American Experience . Surviving the Dust Bowl . Timeline | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Westbrook, Ray, and James Ricketts. "Lubbockites recall 1930s Dust Bowl." http://lubbockonline.com. N.p., 17 May 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. .
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