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Study the image closely. Then, describe what you think is happening here. (2-3 sentences)

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Study the image closely. What is this a picture of? How do you know? Explain your thoughts. (2-3 sentences)

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Study the image closely. Where might these two people be going? What is it like for them to travel, given the details of this picture? (2-3 sentences)

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Study the image closely. What is life like for this man? Use the details of the picture to explain your thoughts. (2-3 sentences)

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Copy the 2 most interesting details from the facts below. Then, considering what you've already seen and the facts below, describe what life might have been like during this time period. (2-3 sentences)

Dust Bowl Facts

a 7 year drought began in 1931

Dust storms came in 1932

Farmers decided to move to California because a mild climate meant a longer growing season, which meant more work

The Migrant Experience

30% of the nation's people were unemployed

Between 1929 and 1932 the income of the average American family was reduced 40%, from $2300 a year to $1500 a year

lives were characterized by transience and migration: to maintain a steady income, workers had to follow the harvest around the state

workers were often traumatized by dislocating from their roots and homes

there existed a culture of extreme persistence and tenacity in order to survive

there was solidarity within and friction among groups

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Study the lyrics to the song below. What are 3 reasons why migrant workers were drawn to California during this time period? (3 bullets)

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Study the picture closely. What labor task are these workers performing? After 8 hours in the sun doing this work, how do you imagine these people feel? (2-3 sentences)

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Study the image closely. These are migrant worker bunkhouses. Explain 2 things that might make living here uncomfortable. (2 bullets)

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Watch the short video clip below. Then provide 3 details of what it was like to be Black during the 1930s and Jim Crow Era. (3 bullets)

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This image depicts a worker who spends his days in a carbon black plant/factory/ Make an inference -- how has his job impacted his personality? (2-3 sentences)

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Watch the short video clip below, considering what it was like to be a woman during the 1930s. Provide 3 details of what a woman's responsibilities were during this time period. (3 bullets)

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A Woman's Work ... 1930's take on the woman's role

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Study this image carefully. How does life seem, based on the details included here? (2-3 sentences)

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Watch the short video clip below, considering what Migrant Life was like during the 1930s. Provide 3 details that you think depict the difficulty of life during this era. (3 bullets)

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American Masters
Clip: 08/29/2014 | 2m 41s

Photographer Dorothea Lange and her husband were the first to witness and to understand the causes of the huge migration to California in the 1930s: families were escaping the Dust Bowl. In this excerpt, Lange describes photographing the first car arriving in California. American Masters - Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning premieres nationwide Friday, August 29, 9-11 pm on PBS.

Aired: 08/29/14

Rating: NR

The full episode is no longer available for online streaming. Why?

Please continue to enjoy extra(s) from this episode. The full episode is still available for purchase through the "Buy Now" links.

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American Masters | The Dust Bowl: Documenting the First Migrants to California | Season 28

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American Masters Clip: 08/29/2014 | 2m 41s Photographer Dorothea Lange and her husband were the first to witness and to understand the causes of the huge migration to California in the 1930s: families were escaping the Dust Bowl. In this excerpt, Lange describes photographing the first car arriving in California.

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Jim Crow was the former practice of segregating Black people in the United States from whites. While this was especially prevalent in the Southern states, the practice existed everywhere in the nation. Study the image below. What would it feel like to be a Black person during the 1930s Jim Crow era, experiencing signage like this everywhere? (2 sentences)

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The Great Depression: A 1930s Economic Reality

Watch the short video clip below. Then provide 3 details of what made the 1930s such a difficult time to live through, economically. (3 bullets)

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The Depression, the Family Farm and the New Deal