The Great Depression Hits California
Grade 4 California history lesson on the Great Depression impact on California and the deportation of Mexican Americans, from Pengi Social Studies Chapter 7. Students learn how economic fear during the 1930s led governments to forcibly remove hundreds of thousands of Mexican Americans and Mexican nationals.
Key Concepts
In the 1930s, the Great Depression caused businesses to close and workers to lose their jobs. In California, competition for the few remaining jobs led to fear and anger.
Tragically, this anger was directed at Mexican Americans. Local governments forced hundreds of thousands of people to return to Mexico in a process called repatriation . Many of those forced to leave were actually citizens of the United States who had lived in California their whole lives.
Common Questions
How did the Great Depression affect California?
The Great Depression caused widespread unemployment in California. Fear and competition for scarce jobs created social tensions, leading to discrimination against minority groups, particularly Mexican Americans.
What happened to Mexican Americans during the Great Depression in California?
During the Great Depression, local and federal governments organized mass deportations of Mexican nationals and even Mexican American citizens, forcing hundreds of thousands to leave California to reduce competition for jobs.
What was the Great Depression?
The Great Depression was a severe economic crisis that began in 1929 when the stock market crashed. Banks failed, businesses closed, and millions of Americans lost their jobs and homes throughout the 1930s.
Why was discrimination against Mexican Americans during the Depression wrong?
Many people deported during the Great Depression were U.S. citizens with legal rights. Targeting an ethnic group for economic problems violated their civil rights and separated families from communities they had built for generations.