Although Oklahomans left for other states, they made the greatest impact on California and Arizona, where the term “Okie” denoted any poverty-stricken migrant from the Southwest (Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas). From 1935 to 1940 California received more than 250,000 migrants from the Southwest.
What did the Okies bring to California?
The Okies brought with them not only the externals–their country music , for example, and their distinctive speech–but they also brought the idioms of Southwestern populism as well. ... Historians aren't sure just how many Okies poured into California in that turbulent decade.
How did the Okies affect California?
Predominantly upland southerners, the half-million Okies met new hardships in California, where they were unwelcome aliens, forced to live in squatter camps and to compete for scarce jobs as agricultural migrant laborers . ... With many more willing hands than jobs, wage rates dropped.
What were the effects of the Okie migration?
The drought caused a cessation of agricultural production , leading to less income for farmers, and consequently less food on the table for their families. The increased mechanization of farming began to consolidate smaller farms into large farms. Many farmers lost their land in bank foreclosures.
Who were Okies and how were affected?
From 1935 to 1940, roughly 250,000 Oklahoma migrants moved to California. A third settled in the state's agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley. These Dust Bowl refugees were called “Okies.” Okies faced discrimination, menial labor and pitiable wages upon reaching California .
Why were the Californians hostile toward the Okies?
Because they arrived impoverished and because wages were low, many lived in filth and squalor in tents and shantytowns along the irrigation ditches . Consequently, they were despised as “Okies,” a term of disdain, even hate, pinned on economically degraded farm laborers no matter their state of origin.
What does Okie mean from a guy?
| OKIES | Definition: Okay | Type: Slang Word (Jargon) | Guessability: 2: Quite easy to guess | Typical Users: Adults and Teenagers |
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Why did so many Dust Bowl refugees go to California?
Migrants Were Feared as a Health Threat
Many families left farm fields to move to Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay area, where they found work in shipyards and aircraft factories that were gearing up to supply the war effort.
What happened to most migrant workers when they arrived in California?
As migrants arrived in California, there were far more workers than available jobs. ... Many migrants set up camp along the irrigation ditches of the farms they were working , which led to overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions. They lived in tents and out of the backs of cars and trucks.
How was California affected by the Dust Bowl?
The storms, years of drought , and the Great Depression devastated the lives of residents living in those Dust Bowl states. Three hundred thousand of the stricken people packed up their belongings and drove to California. ... The great Dust Bowl migration transformed and reshaped California for years to come.
What does Okie mean?
“Okie” has been historically defined as “ a migrant agricultural worker ; esp: such a worker from Oklahoma” (Webster's Third New International Dictionary). The term became derogatory in the 1930s when massive migration westward occurred.
What was one impact of the Depression?
The Great Depression of 1929 devastated the U.S. economy. A third of all banks failed. 1 Unemployment rose to 25%, and homelessness increased . 2 Housing prices plummeted 67%, international trade collapsed by 65%, and deflation soared above 10%.
Where did most Okies migrate to?
Explanation: California was the destination to which most Okies(as they were pictured in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath)migrated in order to find jobs. They were not necessarily from Oklahoma, some were from Kansas, Texas, Missouri or Arkansas. They fled after the famous Dust Bowl had ravaged their crops.
What were the man made causes of the Dust Bowl?
A combination of aggressive and poor farming techniques, coupled with drought conditions in the region and high winds created massive dust storms that drove thousands from their homes and created a large migrant population of poor, rural Americans during the 1930s.
What stopped the Dust Bowl?
While the dust was greatly reduced thanks to ramped up conservation efforts and sustainable farming practices, the drought was still in full effect in April of 1939. ... In the fall of 1939, rain finally returned in significant amounts to many areas of the Great Plains, signaling the end of the Dust Bowl.
What caused the Dirty Thirties?
The decade became known as the Dirty Thirties due to a crippling droughtin the Prairies , as well as Canada's dependence on raw material and farm exports. Widespread losses of jobs and savings transformed the country. The Depression triggered the birth of social welfare and the rise of populist political movements.
