Inquiry

What was life like during the Great Depression?

 
Often, people want to avoid hard times. But there was a generation of Canadians during the 1930s who faced very tough times. There was drought (no rain), scorching heat, grasshoppers, little food, no jobs, and therefore no money to buy goods like clothing. Soon, because there was no rain, the parched and exposed topsoil began to blow away. Dust storms blew towns and houses. Inside, dust was everywhere, on everything, in everything. Day or night, people could not escape the dust that at times blotted out the sun.

People began to barter (trade goods and services) without using money. Some people lost their houses (foreclosure) because they could not make payments to the bank. The saying during this time was, "Make do with what you have" and "waste not, want not". People were thrifty.
Dresses during the 1930s were made out of flour sacks and printed feedbags.
Would you like to travel to school on a horse? Image via Wikicommons

Resources for Inquiry

  1. Textbook
      • Read pages 269 - 281.

  2. Library Books
      • Canada Past Present Future:  Economy, pages 34 – 41

  3. Websites
  4. Videos





Notebook



Click here to download Assignment 10-1. Save to your Unit 10 Notebook. Use 10-1 Great Depression mind map  to gather your information as you complete your inquiry.


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When you feel confident about the information you explored in this inquiry, submit Unit 10-1 Assignment on the following page.