How was life for migrant workers in the 1930s?
Daily Life Many migrants set up camp along the irrigation ditches of the farms they were working, which led to overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions. They lived in tents and out of the backs of cars and trucks. The working hours were long, and many children worked in the fields with their parents.
What was life like for migrant workers?
Migrant workers lacked educational opportunities for their children, lived in poverty and terrible housing conditions, and faced discrimination and violence when they sought fair treatment. Attempts to organize workers into unions were violently suppressed.
What did migrant workers do in their free time?
When they were not working or looking for work, or tending to the civil and domestic operations of the camp, the migrants found time to engage in recreational activities. Singing and making music took place both in private living quarters and in public spaces.
What was a migrant worker in the 1930s?
Migrant workers, commonly referred to in the 1930’s as hobos, moved from job to job. These men were essentially homeless, living hand to mouth and carrying their belongings in bindles slung across their backs.
How were migrant workers treated during the Great Depression?
Even with an entire family working, migrants could not support themselves on these low wages. Many set up camps along irrigation ditches in the farmers’ fields. These “ditchbank” camps fostered poor sanitary conditions and created a public health problem.
What was a good salary in 1930?
The average income was $1,368, and the average unemployment rate in the 1930s was 18.26 percent, up from the average of 5.2 percent in the 1920s.
What were migrant workers in the 1930s?
The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl (a period of drought that destroyed millions of acres of farmland) forced white farmers to sell their farms and become migrant workers who traveled from farm to farm to pick fruit and other crops at starvation wages.