Families on the Road

I have chosen this image as I think it shows the desperation during this period and extent some families were willing to go in order to have a better situation during the depression. The image shows families that were victims of the severe drought that impacted farmers in the southern and Midwestern plains. Farmers crops died and as winds began to strengthen many crops were blown from the soil, this created many dust storms that affected the agricultural community and eventually forced families to move west. By 1934 75% of the US was effected by this drought and the combination of the economic depression and the bad weather ended up putting a lot of farmers out of business. The individuals and families that were affected by the drought in states such as Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas were named ‘dust bowl refugees’ due to the dust storms that occurred in these locations. The families moved west towards California in the hope to find new jobs and provide for their families once more.

This migration west portrays the same values that the pioneers had on the frontier when territories were being expanded. These people as well as the individuals in the 1800's were moving in order to seek a better life and they saw the west as providing this better life. The image shows cars that have some personal property in them which could show that these individuals are currently in the motion of moving west; the cars that have belongings in them are reminiscent

of the wagons that pioneers used. The families that are moving seem to have become victim to the American Dream as they had their own land and were working hard in order to sustain and thrive on the harsh landscapes only to have to relocate due to financial situations and the natural disasters that had happened. However the victims of the depression are now chasing their new American Dream where they are going to start from scratch and create a new life for themselves and their families.