"And then the dispossessed were drawn west — from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico... 50,000 old cars — wounded, steaming. Restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do." — John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, 1939
The map and excerpt together best illustrate which Depression-era phenomenon?
- Acheck_circle
The mass migration of Plains farmers to California due to drought, dust storms, and farm foreclosures.
- B
Voluntary urban-to-rural movement during the 1930s.
- C
Successful crop yields throughout the Plains during the 1930s.
- D
Federal refusal to assist Plains farmers, leading to permanent abandonment of agriculture.
Explanation
Severe drought combined with topsoil loss from over-plowing turned much of the southern Plains into the Dust Bowl. About 2.5 million people left, with roughly 200,000 "Okies" reaching California, where many became migrant farm workers.