Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Hoovervilles
The United States had a booming economy in the 1920s. That time period was called "The Roaring Twenties." It all ended in October 1929. The Wall Street stock market crashed. The worst economic depression the U.S. has ever seen followed the "Great Crash," as it is sometimes called.
Many people lost their life savings and their jobs. They couldn't afford to pay their mortgages, so they lost their homes. At one point of "the Great Depression," one-fourth of American workers did not have a job - thirteen million workers.
Shanty towns sprang up across the United States. These were crude forms of shelter for the many people without homes. Tents, shacks made from scrap materials, and even cardboard boxes became homes for tens of thousands of U.S. citizens. These shanty towns became known as "Hoovervilles." They were named for President Herbert Hoover. Many people blamed the president for the Depression, unemployment, and widespread homelessness.
