Dust Bowl Dbq Essay

Years ago in the 1930s, tragedy struck in America. Along with the wounding great depression, those in the Southern Plain were hit with a catastrophic dust storm known as the Dust Bowl. From acres of farms being destroyed to people losing their lives, the Dust Bowl was an unfortunate disaster. Some may say “the earth ran amok” (Doc A). The devastating Dust Bowl was ultimately caused by poor weather conditions, new farming technology and the immense removal of grass.

The Dust Bowl took place in multiple states that dealt with major drought. The minimum amount of rain needed for crops to flourish in these areas is twenty inches (Doc E). Unfortunately, these five Dust Bowl towns averaged approximately fifteen inches of annual rainfall per year which is significantly less than the minimum necessary amount (Doc E). This lasted for nine years from 1931 to 1940 (Doc E). These poor weather conditions led to the Dust Bowl because without consistent rainfall, crops were unable to grow. Without crops growing, acres of farmland were solely covered in dry dirt that was easily kicked up and blown away. If more rain were to have fallen yearly, crops would have had a much higher chance of growing, eliminating the uncontrolled amount of dirt.

This area is known for having millions of acres of farming land widespread. Since this area was so predominant for farming, most of its grass was ripped up to expand farm land. This is proved in Document C when it is said “...paid rent to nearby property and ripped that grass up as well.” Grass is known to be “what holds the earth together” (Doc B). In this situation, grass is what protects top soil or dirt from eroding wind. Without grass, the dirt underneath is revealed. The Dust Bowl happened because of the amount of exposed dirt throughout acres of land. This dirt was tossed and blown around, causing these huge dust