Lesson 53 of 84 ยท Westward Expansion
โญ 30 XPThe Dust Bowl and Its Causes
The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was a catastrophic environmental disaster that resulted from a combination of severe drought and inappropriate agricultural practices.
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The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was a catastrophic environmental disaster that resulted from a combination of severe drought and inappropriate agricultural practices. Farmers, striving to exploit the fertile soils of the Great Plains, engaged in extensive plowing that stripped the land of its native grasses, which had previously held the soil in place. When the drought struck, the exposed topsoil turned to dust, creating massive dust storms that swept across the region, devastating crops and displacing thousands of families. This calamity highlighted the need for more sustainable farming techniques and led to significant reforms in agricultural policy.
Key Facts
The Dust Bowl occurred during the 1930s.
Drought and poor farming practices contributed to the disaster.
The event displaced thousands of families and reshaped agricultural policies.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2What were the primary causes of the Dust Bowl?
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