Hoover's response to the depression failed in so many ways. Hoover tried to use volunteerism to fix the issues of povery and hunger that were on the minds of so many Americans. Unfortuantly, people were more concered about themselves than America as a whole, so there was little coorperation as a group, and not much was accomplished. He also tried to use the scheme of "trickle down ecomomics" where the government would hand out money to the banks and large businesses and would slowly flow down to the poor people at the bottom of the social classes. Again, Hoover failed. The money barley made it's way to the middle class people, but there certainly wasn't enough to help the poor.
Hoovervilles popped up all over the nation as people lost money, houses, and access to food. People who lost their homes moved into parks, fields, and parking lots; made houses out of tar paper, cardboard, and metal scraps; and hoped that life would get better. Named after Herbert Hoover, these towns were trashy, and were putting much of the blame on Hoover. |
Hoover flags, or turned out pockets were another sign of poverty. They were showing pennilessness and were a common sight in Hoovervilles around the country.
Hoover didn't fail at ending the Great Depression, although most of the blame for it was put on him. Hoovervilles and Hoover flags became prominent symbols of the Great Depression.