1The Wall Street Crash
October 1929
Lead to the decreased value of the dollar and many Americans unemployed
Resulted in mass migration in the hopes of finding better jobs and places to live
Wasn't fully resolved until WW2
2Herbert Hoover became president
4th March 1929
Republican
Was seen as one of the reasons that the Depression didn't improve
Tried to relieve the Depression with things reforms such as the Alphabet Agencies but it was seen as too little too late
3Al Capone and his bodyguards arrested
17th May 1929
Shows the rise of organised crime in the USA and how it was dealt with
They were concelaing deadly weapons
4The Empire State Building begins construction
17th March 1930
Construction provided jobs for Americans and the building brought status and money for the country
Can be seen as an attempt to relieve the Depression
5Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act
17th June 1930
Raised tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods
Aimed to shield American companies from foreign competition and combat the Depression
6Hoover asks Congress for a public works programme
2nd December 1930
He asks for $150 million ro help generate jobs and stimulate the economy
Shows the efforts that the government was making, despite being republican
7The Casellmmarese War ends
15th April 1931
Ends with the assassination of the previous ruler of the American Mafia. The new one was also assassinated 6 months later
Shows the nature of crime in America at the time
8The Bonus Army
8th November 1932
Marches to Washington by 15,000 WW1 verterans
They demand immediate pay of their wartime bonuses
Resulted in violence and showed that people were desperate and that the government wasn't willing to pay
91932 Presidential election
8th November 1932
Roosevelt elected by a landslide victory
Shows that the American citizens felt that the Republican attitude wasn't helping the Depression and they needed the interventionist attitude from the Democrats
10Bank Holiday
5th March 1933
One of the first things Roosevelt does as President
Closes banks to limit panic and allow him to attempt to relieve the Depression
Lasted until 13th March
11The New Deal begins
9th March 1933
economic, political and social reforms that aimed to help the Depression
12The Dust Bowl
11th November 1933
A strond dust storm in South Dakota
Similar to what thet Joads' experience
13Pretty Boy Floyd killed
22nd October 1934
Showed criminal activity at the time
Floyd was mentioned multiple times in the Grapes of Wrath
14Hoover Dam completed
1st March 1936
An attempt started by Hoover to generate jobs for the Unemployed
Lasted a few months
15Roosevelt reelected
3rd November 1936
Shows that the US public prefered his methods of handling the Depression over the Republicans
16Of Mice and Men published
6th February 1937
Another one of John Steinbeck's novels
17Unemployment in May 1937
7 million people
A long lasting effect of the Wall Street Crash
18The Grapes of Wrath published
14th April 1939