Figure 1.--American farmers wre hard hit by the Depression ann and the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. There were, hiwever sime positive devlopments. At the beguinning of the 1930s farm nechinization was common, but gorses and miles weere still being used, especially in the south. By the end of the decade they had become the exception. The New Seal also launched programs to address the problems of rural Americans. This along with rural electrification was changiung the face of rural America. As the world moved toward war and food would become an im[portnt issue, American farmers had become extrodinarily efficient.

Rural America if not transformed looked a lot diffrent by the end of the decade. Large numbrs of rural residents had moved to the cities. This began with th Depressiion and failure of many farms and then the Dust Bowl. A range of New Deal programs attempted to address farm poverty and underlying issues. Rural residents nenefitted from the government programs that put Americans to work. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) hired many men to work on parks, roads, bridges, swimming pools, public buildings and other projects. Some of these jons went to rural residents. Teen age boys and young adults joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). They lived in barracks, were given clothing, and provided with free food and mdical care. The small salary that they earned was sent to help their struggling families. The CCC boys planted trees, helped create parks, and did other projects to beautify and preserve natural areas, primarily in rurala reas. By the end of the decade the situation in Europe was revitalizing both the gricultural and industrial economy. Not only were many new jobs being created in city factories, but a labor shortage was developing. Amnerican farming was becoming inctreasing mechanized. And thanks to the New Deal we begin to see farmers begining to gain access to electricity. All of this was significantly increasing farm productivity at a time that the need for food was increasing. Farm income for the first time since the the 1910s was increasing. And New Deal soil conservation efforts were getting to the problems creating the Dust Bowl. There were still major differences between rural and urban life, but in part because of the ground work laid by the New Deal in the 1930s, these were disappearing and were no longer a major issue by the 1940s.

Created: 12:56 AM 5/10/2012
pell checked: 1:32 AM 4/18/2013
Last updated: 9:34 AM 11/15/2021