Since farm workers with no steady employment, would often head to these communities, it was logical that Salinas Valley was George and Lennie’s destination. Migrant farm workers were perfect examples, to highlight the solitude and loneliness engendered by the Depression.
Why did migrant workers move to California in 1930?
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.
Why were there migrant workers in the 1930s?
The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl (a period of drought that destroyed millions of acres of farmland) forced white farmers to sell their farms and become migrant workers who traveled from farm to farm to pick fruit and other crops at starvation wages.
What was life like in the Salinas Valley in the 1930’s?
The Salinas Valley during the 1930s was very productive in the area crops but not in the area of employment rights. Its geography and weather was a critical part of letting the crops grow properly.
Why was the Salinas Valley important during the Great Depression?
the valley, including the development of the valley’s infrastructure. The farming economy in Salinas valley saw far less disruptions in terms of productions and markets than other locations in America. Many displaced workers came to the Salinas Valley, which led to a vast increase in productivity.
Where did migrant workers go for work in the 1930s?
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. The working hours were long, and many children worked in the fields with their parents.
How did migrant workers travel in the 1930s?
Dust Bowl migrants squeezed into trucks and jalopies—beat-up old cars—laden with their meager possessions and headed west, many taking the old U.S. Highway 66. “Dad bought a truck to bring what we could,” recalled one former migrant, Byrd Monford Morgan, in a 1981 oral history interview.
Where in California did migrant workers find jobs 1930s?
Like the Joad family in John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath”, some 40 percent of migrant farmers wound up in the San Joaquin Valley, picking grapes and cotton. They took up the work of Mexican migrant workers, 120,000 of whom were repatriated during the 1930s.
Why did migrant workers migrate?
Migrants often leave their home communities due to extreme poverty and face exploitation as they search for work in unfamiliar terrain. They are commonly subject to subcontracting schemes and precarious jobs in the informal economy.
Why do migrant workers move around so much?
Why do migrant workers move around so much? They prefer not to have permanent homes. Corporations forbid them from settling down permanently. They pay lower tax rates if they move around a lot.
What was life like for migrant farmers in the Salinas Valley in the 1930s?
The 1930’s were a tough time, especially for the farmers who lost theirs farms and for the many children who died from the dust. The Dust Bowl was caused by modern farming tools and the large number of unprepared and unprotected farms.
What was the Salinas Valley known for?
The Salinas Valley is located in California. It is known as “the salad bowl of the world” because of its heavy agriculture industry, which supplies most of America with salad greens and other vegetables.
What is the main thing the Salinas Valley is known for?
the Salad Bowl of the World
Promoters call the Salinas Valley “the Salad Bowl of the World” for the production of lettuce, broccoli, peppers and numerous other crops. The climate and long growing season are also ideal for the flower industry and grape vineyards planted by world-famous vintners.
What was happening in the 1930s in California?
California was hit hard by the economic collapse of the 1930s. Businesses failed, workers lost their jobs, and families fell into poverty. While the political response to the depression often was confused and ineffective, social messiahs offered alluring panaceas promising relief and recovery.
Why is Salinas Valley good for agriculture?
The north end of the Salinas Valley opens to the Pacific Ocean, source of the marine influence that cools the valley and makes possible the wide range of crops found here. With a total value of over $1.9 billion, Monterey county is the fourth highest agricultural producing county in California.
What was life like for migrant workers during the 1930s?
Migrant workers lacked educational opportunities for their children, lived in poverty and terrible housing conditions, and faced discrimination and violence when they sought fair treatment. Attempts to organize workers into unions were violently suppressed.
How much did migrant workers make in 1930?
Migrant workers in California who had been making 35 cents per hour in 1928 made only 14 cents per hour in 1933. Sugar beet workers in Colorado saw their wages decrease from $27 an acre in 1930 to $12.37 an acre three years later.
Where did migrant workers go for work?
The term “migrant farmworker” includes people working temporarily or seasonally in farm fields, orchards, canneries, plant nurseries, fish/seafood packing plants, and more. Guest workers who temporarily live in the US through the federal H2A program to work on farms are also migrant farmworkers.
Where do migrant workers travel?
Some travel across the U.S.-Mexico border and some travel within the United States, especially in Florida, south Texas, Arizona and California. Farmworkers’ jobs are spread throughout the country, but a significant percentage, perhaps one-third, live and work in California.
Why did farmers move west during the 1930s?
During the Dust Bowl years, the weather destroyed nearly all the crops farmers tried to grow on the Great Plains. What few crops did survive sold at such low prices that farmers could not earn a living. Farmers who rented the land and farmhouse couldn’t pay rent, and farmers who owned their land couldn’t make payments.
What are 3 facts about migrant workers?
Migrant workers’ jobs are often physically difficult. They commonly work on farms, on construction sites, in mines, or in factories. Migrant workers also do domestic jobs, such as child care and cleaning. Regular labor laws often do not apply to migrant workers.