Tens of thousands of businesses failed, half a million farmers lost their farms, one quarter of American banks failed, and more than ten million people were thrown out of work. Millions of Americans depended on the soup kitchens and breadlines provided by local charities for their daily survival. This widespread hunger occurred at a time when farmers were unable to sell their food crops and were going bankrupt in the thousands. Minority groups were especially hard-hit because they typically suffered higher unemployment rates.

Farmers had removed the tough grasses that once protected the soil. A series of droughts in the early 1930s dried up crops and topsoil, turning the soil into dust. The strong winds of the Great Plains then swept this dust eastward. Blizzards of dust fell from the sky, choking farmers and livestock. Farmers had to abandon their farms.