California Economy of the Great Depression

California Economy of the Great Depression   The Great Depression occurred between 1929 and 1939. The several suggested causes of the depression include the stock market crash of 1929, collapse of world trade because of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, bank panics and failure, collapse of money supply, and ineffective government policies. California, among the most populous states, suffered greatly from the depression. One in every four Californians went out of work, 25% of banks failed, and 20% of Americans were underemployed. It also led to 300,000 migrants arriving from the lower state plains. Desperate for a job, the migrants were dirty, poor, hungry, and unwelcome by a society that felt it had limited employment opportunities to offer migrants. By 1932, over 1.2 million people were on relief. State-sanctioned racism was prevalent, meaning migrants were considered secon...