Hoovervilles
in the Great Depression
The Black Crowes – Oh Sweet Nuthin
A Hooverville was the popular name for a shanty town, examples of which were found in many United States communities during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The name Hooverville has also been used to describe the Tent Cities commonly found in America.
The word “Hooverville” derives from the name of the President of the United States at the beginning of the Depression, Herbert Hoover. They used Hoover’s name because they were frustrated and disappointed with his involvement in the relief effort for the Depression. In addition to financial troubles during the Depression, a drought in the Mississippi Valley forced farmers to auction their land for taxes and reside in Hoovervilles.
These settlements were often formed in horrible neighbourhoods or desolate areas and consisted of dozens or hundreds of shacks and tents that were temporary residences of those left unemployed and homeless by the Depression. People slept in anything from open piano crates to the ground. Authorities did not officially recognize these Hoovervilles and occasionally removed the occupants for technically trespassing on private lands, but they were frequently tolerated out of necessity.
Some of the men who were made to live in these conditions possessed building skills and were able to build their houses out of stone. Most people, however, resorted to building their residences out of box wood, cardboard, and any scraps of metal they could find. Some individuals even lived in sewer mains.
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Most of these unemployed residents of the Hoovervilles begged for food from those who had housing during this era. Several other terms came into use during this era, such as “Hoover blanket” (old newspaper used as blanketing) and “Hoover flag” (an empty pocket turned inside out). “Hoover leather” was cardboard used to line a shoe with the sole worn through. A “Hoover wagon” was a car with horses tied to it because the owner could not afford gasoline; in Canada, these were known as Bennett buggies. Hoovervilles were known to be a home for people who couldn’t pay their mortgages.
Ain’t got no home-Clarence FROGMAN Henry 1956
clarence ´´ frogman´´ henry aint got no home
Ain’t Got No Home Clerance Frog Man Henry
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With the republican vote deniyng unemployement insure to the unemployed workers, the images of Hoovervilles come to my mind. Because the fastest recovery to an economic turnout is spending , with political sabry they denied thousands of people the life line they need to survive. Maybe if they make things bad enough they can earn some votes in the midterm elections. As they call unemployed workers hobos, lazy, and implyed that they used their unemployment for drugs, they forget that some of those unemployee were the ones that voted for them to begin with. The rollercoaster of extensions have to end, everyone that has lost a job in the last months of 2008 should be getting unemployment until something turns around, that money will be going directly into the economy, spend right away. After leaving the country with 10 trillion dollars debt, now they try to save 0.00049% by denying unemployment to the ones that need it, in exchange for campaigne funds and the same old rethoric, cut taxes for the rich, and it will trickle down. How that work for you senators?
Also Mr. Jindell of Louissiana needs to stop appearing like he cares, he can mobilized 6,000 reserve troops and pass the bill onto BP, however he has decided to save BP some dollars and mobilized 1,000 only. And as a double win, he gets to go around and blame the Federal Government and Obama for the “spill” response.
Adouble win for Mr Jindell. The sad thing is some people want to believe that and some will. Sara Palin says “don’t retreat, reload”, I said, rewind, google, and vote.
the democrats need to situated themselves with a path to use reconciliation as much as the Republicans did when they were digging the country into the ground. Pass an extesion bill for the unemployee that does not look like a lottery game, no death lines to qualified, we were all working, we all qualified!!!!
Now that’s a comment, add to that that the money involved tends to go in large part to rent, utilities and food, most of which is not of Chinese manufacture and it is even more apparent that cutting benefits is counterproductive?
Love this photos. Thanks for sharing.
Oh Lord, the republicans fault whaahhh…
Please..
IT IS BOTH!
The DEM has been in charge since 2007, and unemployment is not helping anyone.
Dummid:
Looks like we are headed into times like this, no matter who is in charge.
:(
No, the money’s allready in the system, it will come due in time to re-elect Obama in 2012, and the Mid Term gains in the GOP will not be as bad as they could be mainly due to the fact that the GOP is so right field it will cost em gains, You can’t win when Beck and Palin are flying lead, like the far Left, they cost votes more than they gain so Obama will slide thru and have 8 years, 2012 numbers will be on the upswing and HRC will follow up Obama for another 8 years and the right will kick the Fundementalits out and restore themselve to the center before they ever again win the Whiye House? That’s what I forsee
Bush Gardens: homeless tent cities that sprung up after the 2008 economic crisis.