What Are Hoover Blankets?
- Known as Hooverisms, slang terms were given to objects denoting poverty, such as newspapers used by the homeless to keep warm while they slept, which were called Hoover blankets. Empty, out-turned pockets were called Hoover flags, worn out shoes were called Hoover shoes, and the cardboard placed inside these shoes to cover holes in the soles was called Hoover leather. Automobile owners who could not afford gasoline often used horses or mules to pull their cars and called these Hoover wagons. Homeless people who got together to create small communities of shelters built from any discarded material they could find were said to live in Hoovervilles.
- A former engineer and Secretary of Commerce, Hoover was elected president in 1928. Since the depression began shortly after his election much of his time and effort as president were spent trying to end it. His response was seen by many as, at best, ineffective or, at worst, nonexistent. Because none of his policies ended the depression before the election of 1932, he lost the presidency to Franklin Roosevelt.
- The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of October 1929. The causes of this crash are not fully known, but many blame the cause on investors borrowing too much money and the unregulated practices of the stock market. Many investors were able to buy stocks with only 10 percent down, and when stock prices dropped they could not repay their loans. When the market crashed people began removing their money from banks, which caused the banks to fail. Unemployment rose, and a chain of events was set in motion that led to widespread poverty.
- President Hoover believed that government relief was not the key to ending the depression. Instead he felt that charities and business would work to help people and reverse the economic situation. Because these policies did not work, people expressed their frustration in many ways. One of these was through the use of Hooverisms like Hoover blanket.
