Being unemployed meant becoming one of a population of 11 million Americans. While many accounts of the Great Depression emphasize the crash of the stock market, in this article I'll be focusing on the lives of the American poor, in particular the residents of "Hoovervilles". (edit)
A general definition of the word "Hooverville" would be a makeshift community set up by the impoverished and the unemployed. These settlements were seen as haphazard collections of huts and shacks made of practically anything that could support a roof. Originally often established near soup kitchens and other centers of aid, Hoovervilles could eventually be found in and on the outskirts of cities such as Washington D.C. and St. Louis, in the marshes of Seattle, and other unlikely places.
As one might expect, life in the Hoovervilles was extremely difficult. With hundreds and even thousands of the lowest of the lower class, every day was a struggle to survive. Families were forced to raise multiple children alongside criminals; illicit activities such as prostitution and drinking were commonplace. These problems were exacerbated by the government's unwillingness to exercise jurisdiction over the Hoovervilles. Occasional attempts to drive the poor off private property were made, but for the most part, members of the communities were ignored or tolerated by the general population, leading to general disorder and lawlessness.
However, despite the above conditions, some Hoovervilles managed to evolve beyond a mass of homeless shelters. One in St. Louis was governed by an unofficial mayor, elected by the members of the community. It also contained churches and other businesses that a normal town would contain.
Soon after the end of the Depression, all Hoovervilles were demolished under federal relief programs. However, modern-day Hoovervilles still exist across the U.S, far more widespread and greater in number. Increasing media exposure is being devoted to these shantytowns and the conditions they face. The best-known example of this is the Occupy Wall Street movement;many parallels can be drawn between the protesters and the occupants of the Hoovervilles.
Hoovervilles were a significant aspect of the Great Depression. While they were not optimal, they provided a sanctuary for the poor in a time where there were none.
This post reminded me of a tent city that popped up on the island of Coronado in the early 1920's. This tent city, however, was not due to poverty and not being able to afford real homes, it was simply a vacation spot. The small city had restrooms, carnival activities, and a ferris wheel. Although they look very similar, these cities were vary different.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://coronadovisitorcenter.com/coronado-visitor-center/a-town-with-an-epic-history/
(This post also reminded me of the movie District 9 for anyone who has seen it)
I feel like living in a Hooverville would almost make one's situation worse. What is the true reason for staying in one of these makeshift cities? Louis, you said that they were often centered around a soup kitchen or some other form of aid so maybe that is the answer. Regardless, hanging around with other people who are in as desperate a situation as you are in confined area that doesn't truly serve a purpose strikes me as an almost poor decision. How can you expect things to get better when you are surrounded by people in such a desperate situation.
ReplyDeleteI think the Hoovervilles should be synonymous with shantytowns instead of makeshift cities because people didn't crowd in one spot over a short amount of time. It was a buildup of people who weren't able to pay the mortgages for their houses so it increased in scale during Hoover's presidency since he didn't know how to fix the economy by relief. They weren't necessarily unable to feed themselves but it was hard for everybody since most of their properties were bought from credit. The Hoovervilles were named after President Hoover to mock him of his nonexistent help, to blame for the Great Depression, and his inability to stop the downfall of the economic stability.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooverville
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Hoovervilles were certainly a very important part of the American culture. Without their presence, many more people would have sunken even lower in society due to being isolated and being unable to communicate with others. As Louis said, some Hoovervilles could even be considered "successful" in the sense that they gave opportunity to people who needed a place to live and people to communicate with. So, to answer your question Dylan, the true reason for people staying in these Hoovervilles is simply due to human nature. People want to be around others because they need help. If people lack something, they try to find someone who can help them, provide what they need, or at least share a common interest or necesity so they can work together towards their common goal. Also, some of them didn't really have a better choice. If a person is poor and homeless, people in other societies may not accept you, and those who are desperate will look for a different society that will accept them, and in this case, a Hooverville society. You could also think of it this way, a bunch of desperate people have nothing to lose and nearly everything to gain, so if they managed to pull their own weight and learn to work together, a Hooverville could grow and become a city.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of emphasizing on the impact on the American culture. However when I read the Freedom from Fear chapters I noted that there were groups of poor people before the Depression. So I'd assume there were Hoovervilles before the Depression, but how would these pre-Hoovervilles be made worse by the Great Depression.
ReplyDelete"cities such as Washington D.C. and St. Louis, in the marshes of Seattle, and other unlikely places." - Why are these places unlikely? Even today, there are homeless people living in front of buildings across the street from the White House. I saw it myself during the 8th grade DC trip.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what parallels can be drawn between Hooverville residents and the Occupy Wall St. movements?
A Hooverville society in the midst of the Great Depression seems to be at the absolute bottom of social society, even during this time. As you all said, the Hooverville society is a small small city of people who almost have nothing. It is a society for people who have nothing to lose and tons to gain, but how are they supposed to gain of they are in the poorest area of the Great depression where, even once successful people are drowning in economic turmoil? When you are looking at it as a fallback for people who have nothing, it is great. But when it comes to making progress and becoming successful, it is not the ideal place to be.
ReplyDeleteOn a completely different note here, I noticed that "Hooverville" could be shortened (or misheard) and changed to "Whoville". When I researched Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel), I found out that he did indeed live through the Great Depression, supporting his family by drawing/writing political cartoons. While "Horton Hears A Who" was not published until the very end of his life (most people seem to agree that the slogan "a person's a person, no matter how small" was a statement about bombing Hiroshima and general attitudes towards the Japanese around the time it was written; it has also been used as an anti-abortionist slogan), the term "Hooverville" could very well been where the term "Whoville" was coined from.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Fact: Many of Dr. Seuss's stories were in fact based on his political views. For example, " The Lorax (1971), about environmentalism and anti-consumerism; "The Sneetches" (1961), about racial equality; The Butter Battle Book (1984), about the arms race; Yertle the Turtle (1958), about Hitler and anti-authoritarianism; How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957), criticizing the materialism and consumerism of the Christmas season; and Horton Hears a Who! (1950), about anti-isolationism and internationalism.[45][65]" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss)
Something fun to ponder.
I was just wondering how the state of the more destitute Hoovervilles contrasted with life in the city. From what information you have provided, the Hoovervilles seemed to have much worse conditions, and yet there were myriad of them. In government sanctioned cities, there must have been forms of aid not unlike the ones the Hoovervilles were centered around, so why, exactly, were they even formed in the first place?
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting! Why did people migrate to these Hoovervilles, though? It doesn't sound as though there was much economic opportunity in these "towns", so that can't be the reason. What is it that makes people of similar economic status live together even when it won't help them improve their lifestyle? Is it safety in numbers or is it the rest of society pushing them away?
ReplyDeleteAlso, when you were researching did you come across any examples of this sort of shanty town other than Occupy Wall Street? Occupy is a more voluntary shanty town but are there any places that bad that are formed here because people have nowhere else to live?