Herbert Hoover Reaction to the Great Depression

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

A high tariff on imports to try to boost businesses by Herbert Hoover, but it only triggered retaliatory tariffs in other countries, leading to worse economic conditions

Farmer’s Holiday Association

Composed of midwestern farmers who protested against the falling commodity prices by cutting of supplies, barricading roads, and dumping milk, vegetables, and other food-stuffs onto the roadways. Protest due to the minimal protection for farmers.

Federal Farm Board

The board was authorized to help farmers stabilize prices by temporarily holding surplus grain and cotton in storage. The program, how­ever, was far too modest to handle the continued overproduction of farm goods, leading to the Farmer’s Holiday Assocation

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Measure for propping up faltering railroads, banks, life insurance companies, and other financial institutions. It provided a little bit of support to the banks railroads, was not sufficient enough to fix the US economy.

Bonus Army

Group of fifteen to twenty thousand WWI veterans who set up camps near the Capitol building in 1932 to demand immediate payment of pension awards in 1945. Hoover deployed troops to evict the marchers and burn encampment, footage of that being released led to his

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns made of packing crates because they were evicted from their houses as a result of the depression. Shows the true effects of the Great Depression during Hoover’s term

Revenue Act of 1932

Increased taxes for the rich in order to address budget deficits of the government due to the US Depression. Made the rich people mad at Hoover, leading to less investments and worse economy.