Source 1: American Federation of Labor Background Info: This document is an excerpt from testimony Edward F. McGrady gave before Congress on June 20, 1932. McGrady was a representative of the American Federation of Labor, one of the country's largest labor unions. Congress was considering a bill that would increase employment by funding construction projects. Source Excerpt: Now, what is the situation? In the last two weeks there have been 287,000 men and women thrown out on the streets without jobs. At this very hour today, according to the most conservative figures, there are 10,867,000 people walking the streets. . . . The figures have gone up almost to 11,000,000 without any jobs at all. Have we any hope that the conditions are going to get better? Not at all. . . . Now, what is the situation in recent months industrially? In New York State, the factory pay rolls fell 10 per cent last month, down to 45 percent of what they were three years ago. Steel production in the Pittsburgh district is at 15 percent of capacity. Eighty-five per cent of the steel industry is without any work at all. The New York Times business- activity index on June 12 showed a new low of 55, meaning that it is 55 percent normal. Cotton has reached the lowest price in 200 years. Orders on the books of the United States Steel Company are at the lowest point in the company's history after 14 months of consecutive declining. Farm products are selling at 64.8 percent of 1915 prices and the tendency is downward. Pig-iron production in May was down 60 percent from May, 1931. . . So that all signs indicate that we are heading into very serious trouble in this country. We are warning the leaders of the nation that they have got to meet this situation adequately just as soon as they can, and certainly they have got to meet this situation before this Congress is allowed to adjourn, and if they do not meet it adequately and courageously and boldly and intelligently, I say to you the cry will not be to save the hungry but the cry next winter will be to save this government of the United States. Source: Testimony of Edward F. McGrady, Federal Emergency Measures to Relieve Unemployment, United States Senate, (1932). Source 1: American Federation of Labor 1. What was the American Federation of Labor? Who did it represent? 2. According to McGrady, what condition was the American economy in? 3. What might his purpose have been for testifying before Congress? How might this have affected what he said? Source 2: Dorothea Lange Background Info: The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that badly damaged agriculture in the United States Plains in the 1930s. Approximately 3.5 million people left the Plains. Many of these refugees moved to California. Dorothea Lange, a photographer employed by the Farm Security Administration, took the pictures and wrote the accompanying notes below. Sources: Notes from photographer Dorothea Lange: "Drought refugees from Oklahoma looking for work in the pea fields of California. Near San Jose Mission," March 1935 Notes from photographer Dorothea Lange: "Drought refugees families are now mingling with and supplanting Mexican field laborers...," May 1937. Source 2: Dorothea Lange 1. Who was Dorothea Lange? 2. When and where were these photographs taken? 3. In what industries and in what region did most Mexicans in the U.S. work? 4. Given your answer to Question 3, how might these photographs help to explain the drastic change in Mexican migration to the U.S. in the 1930s?
Source 1: American Federation of Labor
Background Info:
This document is an excerpt from testimony Edward F. McGrady gave before Congress on June 20, 1932. McGrady was a representative of the American Federation of Labor, one of the country's largest labor unions. Congress was considering a bill that would increase employment by funding construction projects.
Source Excerpt:
Now, what is the situation? In the last two weeks there have been 287,000 men and women thrown out on the streets without jobs. At this very hour today, according to the most conservative figures, there are 10,867,000 people walking the streets. . . . The figures have gone up almost to 11,000,000 without any jobs at all. Have we any hope that the conditions are going to get better? Not at all. . . .
Now, what is the situation in recent months industrially? In New York State, the factory pay rolls fell 10 per cent last month, down to 45 percent of what they were three years ago. Steel production in the Pittsburgh district is at 15 percent of capacity. Eighty-five per cent of the steel industry is without any work at all. The New York Times business- activity index on June 12 showed a new low of 55, meaning that it is 55 percent normal. Cotton has reached the lowest price in 200 years. Orders on the books of the United States Steel Company are at the lowest point in the company's history after 14 months of consecutive declining. Farm products are selling at 64.8 percent of 1915 prices and the tendency is downward. Pig-iron production in May was down 60 percent from May, 1931. . .
So that all signs indicate that we are heading into very serious trouble in this country. We are warning the leaders of the nation that they have got to meet this situation adequately just as soon as they can, and certainly they have got to meet this situation before this Congress is allowed to adjourn, and if they do not meet it adequately and courageously and boldly and intelligently, I say to you the cry will not be to save the hungry but the cry next winter will be to save this government of the United States.
Source: Testimony of Edward F. McGrady, Federal Emergency Measures to Relieve
Source 1: American Federation of Labor
1. What was the American Federation of Labor? Who did it represent?
2. According to McGrady, what condition was the American economy in?
3. What might his purpose have been for testifying before Congress? How might this have affected what he said?
Source 2: Dorothea Lange
Background Info:
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that badly damaged agriculture in the United States Plains in the 1930s. Approximately 3.5 million people left the Plains. Many of these refugees moved to California. Dorothea Lange, a photographer employed by the Farm Security Administration, took the pictures and wrote the accompanying notes below.
Sources:
Notes from photographer Dorothea Lange: "Drought refugees from Oklahoma looking for work in the pea fields of California. Near San Jose Mission," March 1935
Notes from photographer Dorothea Lange: "Drought refugees families are now mingling with and supplanting Mexican field laborers...," May 1937.
Source 2: Dorothea Lange
1. Who was Dorothea Lange?
2. When and where were these photographs taken?
3. In what industries and in what region did most Mexicans in the U.S. work?
4. Given your answer to Question 3, how might these photographs help to explain the drastic change in Mexican migration to the U.S. in the 1930s?
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