Transcript Of Mice and Men

The background Of:
‘Of Mice and Men’
By John Steinbeck
PowerPoint by Katie Dunn
The American Dream
The idea of an American Dream is older than the United
States, it dates back to the 1600s. This was the time when
people began to come up with all sorts of hopes and
aspirations for the new and largely unexplored
continent. Many of these dreams focused on owning land
and establishing prosperous businesses which would
theoretically generate happiness, and some people also
incorporated ideals of religious freedom into their
American Dreams. During the Great Depression, several
people wrote about an American Dream, codifying the
concept and entrenching it in American society.
The Wall Street Crash
When the Wall Street stock market crashed in
October 1929, the world economy was plunged
into the Great Depression. One way of making
money during the 1920s was to buy stocks and
shares. Although less than one per cent of the
American people actually possessed stocks and
shares, the Wall Street Crash was to have a
tremendous impact on the whole population.
The fall in share prices made it difficult for
entrepreneurs to raise the money needed to
run their companies. Within a short time,
100,000 American companies were forced to
close and consequently many workers became
unemployed. As there was no national system
of unemployment benefit, the purchasing
power of the American people fell
dramatically. This in turn led to even more
unemployment.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe
worldwide economic depression in the
decade preceding World War II. The timing
of the Great Depression varied across
nations, but in most countries it started in
about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or
early 1940s. It was the longest, most
widespread, and deepest depression of the
20th century. The number of unemployed
people reached upwards of 13 million. Many
people lived in primitive conditions close to
famine. Many people made shacks out of
pieces of scrap metal and boxes, these were
called Hoovervilles. Between 1 and 2 million
people travelled the country desperately
looking for work.
Itinerant farm workers in 1930s
America
•Migrant farm workers are agricultural workers who move often within
a yearly period, for employment purposes.
•The families of migrant farm workers move to follow the planting.
•These families are usually very poor.
•They are not seen, not heard, and not helped.
•This lifestyle often begins at birth, and interferes with any hope for a
stable education, steady friends, and familiarity with a community.
•Seventy percent of migrant farm worker's children do not speak
English.
•Most migrant farm workers are American citizens, either born in
America or have gotten legal residency. They did have trouble becoming
American legally because of where they came from before. The average
income is 7500 dollars per year and they are expected to pay taxes just
like any other American citizen.