Out of The Dust

Here I have provided all necessary links to complete the tasks required of you (Some will take place in class)

Watch the Videos:

 Recollections:

http://video.pbs.org/widget/partnerplayer/2284201971/?w=400&h=225&chapterbar=false&autoplay=true

Mechanized Agriculture:

http://video.pbs.org/widget/partnerplayer/2284209049/?w=400&h=225&chapterbar=false&autoplay=true

Wheat Bubble Burst:

http://video.pbs.org/widget/partnerplayer/2284209392/?w=400&h=225&chapterbar=false&autoplay=true

Depression:

http://video.pbs.org/widget/partnerplayer/2284209577/?w=400&h=225&chapterbar=false&autoplay=true

Day 1:The Great Plow Up – The Economics of the Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a decade-long catastrophe that swept up 100 million acres of topsoil in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico. It was caused by several concurring factors—rising wheat prices, a series of unusually rainy years, and generous federal farm policies prompting a land boom. Encouraged by improved cultivation methods and cheap land, thousands of Americans flooded the southern Plains to farm grain and raise cattle chasing the American dream of owning land and securing their future.  
You will examine the history of settlement in the Great Plains and analyze the farm practices that turned grasslands and wilderness into crop land. In class we will look at supply-demand-price charts, matching their rise and fall to major events, and examine the impact on farmers and the U.S. economy.

Day 2: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
The Dust Bowl was one of the worst man-made ecological disasters in American history when a grassland ecology that took thousands of years to develop was overturned in less than fifty. The result was a devastation of the land and economic ruin for thousands of farmers. But the Great Plains recovered, thanks mostly to better farming methods, advancing technology, and a new source of water, the Ogallala Aquifer. But now, it seems, the same mistakes are being made and this once seemingly inexhaustible source for water is rapidly being depleted. In addition, studies show that it is being polluted by water runoff carrying pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. The Keystone Pipeline also poses a potential threat of leaking oil seeping into the aquifer the same way surface water replenishes it.
After viewing the last segment in THE DUST BOWL entitled "The Western Gate"  identify parallels you see between the development of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and the potential for a similar occurrence if the Ogallala Aquifer were to run dry or be rendered useless. 
Formulate a policy for managing the Ogallala Aquifer. In Your report you should provide a geographic profile of the Great Plains (climate, growing seasons, elevation, precipitation, vegetation, etc.); a brief history of farming methods before and during the Dust Bowl – problems and solutions; description of the current conditions and concerns surrounding the Ogallala Aquifer and any parallels they see with farming methods during the 1930s; and recommendations for changes in agricultural practices that would reduce the risk of or prevent potential problems like another Dust Bowl.

Day 3: How much Government?
For the wheat farmers of the Great Plains, in the mid-1930s, it was like a perfect storm. They had over produced, creating a glut of wheat in the market and prices dropped. A draught dried up the land and the ever-present winds took all the top soil. The country was amidst its worst economic depression. To aid the farmers, the Roosevelt administration offered relief, reform, and recovery but just as there is today, there was debate over how much the government should be involved.
In class we discussed general differences between liberals and conservatives. Here is a list of descriptive terms for each political ideology to keep for reference:
Liberals believe that government is created to help all individuals succeed by providing services and regulations to help the less fortunate. Government can solve many of the problems in society and the economy.
Conservatives believe in individuals taking personal responsibility for their actions and companies prosper best in a free market with little or no government regulation. Individuals are best suited to solving the problems of society and the economy.
The federal government has passed a law that requires all farmers to return to using the lister plow that makes deeper rows in the ground. The law outlaws the "one-way" plow that pulverizes the soil. Supporters of the law say using only the lister will help prevent soil erosion, whereas the one-way plow exposes the dirt to wind and water erosion. Critics say that the lister is too slow to cultivate mass tracts of land and mandating its use limits farmers' freedom and ability to grow crops.
Congress passes the Agricultural Adjustment Act paying farmers subsidies not to plant crops and to kill off excess livestock to reduce agricultural surpluses and raise the prices on agricultural products. Companies which processed farm products would be taxed to pay for these subsidies.
Various farming groups lobby Congress to declare martial law in severely affected counties to force farmers to follow government practices or have their land taken away from them.
Discussion Guide:
Why might some people feel such a regulation is needed? Who might benefit?
How might the policy restrict some people's rights? Who might be negatively affected?
Identify whether the regulation is a "conservative" or "liberal" policy.
Explain if and how your ideological position influenced your answers. 
Choose an example above and  write a brief essay answering the following: Do you feel this law should stay as it is, be amended, or repealed? Explain how and why. (This is apart of your Benchmark Task) 

Day 4: It wasn't just History, it was Personal
The Dust Bowl was an epic of human pain and suffering – a crucible of dust, drought and Depression, when normally self-reliant fathers found themselves unable to provide for their families; when even the most vigilant mothers were unable to stop the dirt that invaded their houses from killing their children by "dust pneumonia;" when thousands of desperate Americans were torn from their homes and forced on the road in an exodus unlike anything the United States has ever seen.
Access the Photo Gallery (www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/photos/) from THE DUST BOWL website as well as American Memory from the Library of Congress (memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html.). Record your thoughts of what you have viewed in a free write activity, writing down everything you can think of in a short period of time. Then have them write a diary entry for one of the people in the photographs that describes the experiences people are having in the photos. (This will be included in your Benchmark Task)

Day 5: The Plow That Broke the Plains
Pare Lorentz's 1936 masterpiece, The Plow That Broke the Plains, was produced for the Resettlement Administration to raise awareness about the Dust Bowl and New Deal. It also was intended to raise awareness of the environmental catastrophe. Virgil Thompson's musical score and Thomas Chalmers's narration make the film nearly lyrical in nature.
Before viewing the film, You will be divided into two groups: one group will be writing favorable critiques, and the other writing unfavorable critiques. A quality copy can be found at the FDR Library, (archive.org/details/gov.fdr.352.2a.1). 

Write a critique essay on the comparison of whether the video "matches" historically with facts and information you have studied. You should state your position about the film, and point to evidence that helps prove your opinion (This will be included in your Benchmark Task).