Effects of the Dust Bowl

The dust bowl is a term used to refer to the drought that occurred in the southern plain region of the United States in the 1930s. The period was extremely dry and high winds carried with them choking dust that swept across the region from Texas and reaching as far as Nebraska. The drought had far-reaching effects on plants, animals, and people living in the area. Among the various consequences arising from the dust bowl are the death of human beings and livestock, crop failure, and destruction of the economy that forced people to relocate to other regions that offered better living conditions.

         The dust bowl was a result of various agricultural and economic factors that resulted from changes in regional weather, implementation of federal land policies, farm economics, and other cultural practices. The federal land policies were introduced after the civil war to encourage pioneers to the west as a way to popularize farming in the great plains (Amaded& Brock, 2020). In 1862, the Homestead Act was introduced and saw the settlers gain access to 160 acres of public land. The success of the Homestead Act led to the introduction of the Kinkaid Act of 1904 and later the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909 which sought to promote agriculture in the region (Amaded& Brock, 2020). While the goal was to bring about positive development through agriculture, the Acts were responsible for bringing a significant number of inexperienced farmers to the region whose farming activities paved the way for the problems that occurred in the dust bowl.

         The majority of the farmers brought in to promote agriculture in the region operated under the assumption that rain follows the plow and therefore failed to take into account the impact that the farming activities introduced would have on the land (Hornbeck, 2012). majority of the people, including politicians and scientists were convinced that activities such as agriculture and homesteading would have a positive impact on the climate in the semi-arid Great Plains region and that the changes introduced would be permanent (Hornbeck, 2012). Their inexperience in farming however failed to prepare them for the challenges that could arise as well as the appropriate measures to mitigate any unwanted outcomes from the farming activities ventured into.

         The Dust Bowl occurred in 1930 and lasted for about 10 years and it had long-term effects on the lives of the people living in the region. The effects of the farming activities manifested in the form of severe drought and dust storms in the Midwest and Southern Great Plains in 1931(Amaded& Brock, 2020). By 1934, over 35 million acres of land previously used for farming had already been rendered unsuitable for any agricultural activity. A further 125 million acres of land had started to lose their topsoil due to the heavy winds and was slowly losing its ability to support farming (Amaded& Brock, 2020). The topsoil was carried by the winds to form dust storms that made it difficult for farmers to earn a living and support their livelihoods and the majority opted to leave their homes.

         Since the Dust Bowl also took place during the depression, deflation made it even difficult for farmers to rely on the little produce they got as prices for their crops had dropped below the set subsidy levels. Despite agriculture being introduced as a way to boost the region’s productivity, its inhabitants were forced to rely on government aid and other subsidies to survive (Hurt, 2019). In 1933 for example, farmers slaughtered over 6.4 million pigs in an attempt to lower supply and increase prices for commodities. Although the move saw prices rise by 20 percent, a lot of wastage occurred and this pushed the federal government to introduce the Surplus Relief Corporation whose role was to ensure that any excess produce for the firms would be sent to the poor instead of rotting away in storage.

Other than food shortages, severe dust storms referred to as black blizzards became a common occurrence in the region during the Dust Bowl period. The severe dust storms carried away the topsoil from the Great Plains, pushing it as far as New York City, Washington D.C, and even reached as far as the Atlantic Ocean. The eroded topsoil lowered the quality of the soil, making it less fertile for farming (Amaded& Brock, 2020). The poor quality of the soil also meant that it could easily be eroded and therefore intensified the severity of the dust storms. The dust made it difficult for people to go on with their daily lives as the dark dust clouds would cover the sky for days. Heavy dust storms would drift into the region like snow and residents had to use shovels to clear the soil from surfaces such as roads, pavements, and cars (Howard, 2016). People developed medical conditions such as dust pneumonia, difficulty in breathing, and other chest related problems with hundreds of thousands losing their lives to the medical complications caused by the dust.

Another consequence of the Dust Bowl was the migration of more than 2.5 million people from Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, making it one of the biggest migrations in American history(Amaded& Brock, 2020). Roughly 440,000 immigrants moved from Oklahoma trying to escape poverty and better working opportunities, 250,000 of which settled in California while the rest moved to agriculturally stable regions such as the Joaquin Valley (Amaded& Brock, 2020). The refugees were referred to as Okies and those who settled in California were forced to do odd jobs and settle for low wages as a result of the discrimination they faced once they settled in the area. Those who were unable to secure employment were forced to live in tents located along irrigation ditches and others in shantytowns. 

Although the Dust Bowl is known for the negative consequences it had on the United States, it offered an ideal opportunity for artists, music composers, and writers. John Steinbeck for example wrote a book that discussed the challenges the Okies faced after migrating from their lands (Amaded& Brock, 2020). Woody Guthrie, a folk musician also launched an album with songs that narrated the challenges that existed in the Dust Bowl as well as those faced by the Okies in California.

         The emergence of the Dust Bowl is attributed to the project Manifest Destiny and the belief that Americans have a sacred duty to expand and occupy more land, especially to the west. The belief made it difficult for people to question the policies given on how to go about preparing the region for agriculture. Care must be taken to prevent influential organizations or individuals from introducing projects that could have far-reaching consequences in the future. With the existence of issues such as global warming, the effects of the Dust Bowl should serve as a cautionary tale, encouraging people to take more caution before implementing projects that affect the entire population in the long run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Amadeo K and Brock J, (2020) “The Dust Bowl, its causes, impact, with a timeline and map” The Balance, retrieved from, https://www.thebalance.com/what-was-      the-dust-bowl-causes-and-effects-3305689

Hornbeck R, (2012) “The enduring impact of the American dust bowl: Short and long run adjustments to environmental catastrophe” The American Economic Review,      retrieved from, https://www.jstor.org/stable/23245462?seq=1

Howard B, (2016) “The Dirty Thirties: A history of the Dust Bowl” Golgotha Press

Hurt D, (2019) “Documents of the Dust Bowl” Santa Barbara, California