Review Questions
- Which of the following was a cause of the stock market crash of 1929?
- too many people invested in the market
- investors made risky investments with borrowed money
- the federal government invested heavily in business stock
- World War I created optimal conditions for an eventual crash
- Which of the following groups would not be considered “the deserving poor” by social welfare groups and humanitarians in the 1930s?
- vagrant children
- unemployed workers
- stock speculators
- single mothers
- What were Hoover’s plans when he first entered office, and how were these reflective of the years that preceded the Great Depression?
- Which of the following protests was directly related to federal policies, and thus had the greatest impact in creating a negative public perception of the Hoover presidency?
- the Farm Holiday Association
- the Ford Motor Company labor strikes
- the Bonus Expeditionary Force
- the widespread appearance of “Hooverville” shantytowns
- Which of the following groups or bodies did not offer direct relief to needy people?
- the federal government
- local police and schoolteachers
- churches and synagogues
- wealthy individuals
- What attempts did Hoover make to offer federal relief? How would you evaluate the success or failure of these programs?
- Which of the following hardships did African Americans not typically face during the Great Depression?
- lower farm wages in the South
- the belief that White workers needed jobs more than their Black counterparts
- White workers taking historically “Black” jobs, such as maids and janitors
- widespread anti-black riots in large urban centers
- Which of the following was not a key factor in the conditions that led to the Dust Bowl?
- previous overcultivation of farmland
- decreasing American demand for farm produce
- unfavorable weather conditions
- poor farming techniques regarding proper irrigation and acreage rotation
- What did the popular movies of the Depression reveal about American values at that time? How did these values contrast with the values Americans held before the Depression?
- Which assessment of Herbert Hoover’s presidency is most accurate?
- Hoover’s policies caused the stock market crash and subsequent depression.
- Although he did not cause the stock market crash, Hoover deserves criticism for his inadequate response to it.
- Hoover pledged a great deal of direct federal aid to unemployed Americans, overtaxing the federal budget and worsening the financial crisis.
- Hoover disapproved of American capitalism and therefore attempted to forestall any concrete solutions to the Depression.
- Which of the following phrases best characterizes Herbert Hoover’s foreign policy agenda?
- interventionist, in terms of unwanted interference in other nations’ affairs
- militaristic, in terms of strengthening American armed forces
- isolationist, in terms of preventing America’s interaction with other nations
- mutual respect, in terms of being available to support others when called upon, but not interfering unnecessarily in their affairs