M8 Assignment: Historical Fiction - "A Day in the

Life"

Adriana Gerardo

History 153

Professor Patrick McDonald

March 14, 2017

 Gerardo 1

December 9, 1933

Amarillo, Texas

Dear Sister Liz,

I hope this letter finds you well and Uncle Patrick is feeling a little bit better

managing polio, please give him our best and tell him we keep praying for

him. I am sorry I did not write sooner, but we have been very busy the last

couple of months with all the new changes happening here in America. I

could not be happier President Herbert Hoovers term is over; he was an

incompetent president that failed to acknowledge the needs of all the

American folks. President Roosevelt is the right man for the job, he promised

us a New Deal and he has kept his word; for example, just two days after

taking office he declared a bank holiday with the purpose to examine the

financial stability of the banks. His administration reopened banks who were

solvent and assisted those who were not. This is the kind of President he is,

bold and quick to act. Finally, someone is giving us all a hand.

As you know, last year, The Dust Bowl made matters worse for Betty, our

kids and me. Almost all my wheat crops went bad and I could not keep

paying the mortgage. Initially we were not evicted, but two windows broke

and I could not even afford to have them fixed. We tried putting wood on

them but the dust kept getting in, the girls were getting sick, and Betty could

not take it anymore. Finally, in March, I lost my farm in Amarillo. We moved

in with the Smiths, our neighbors next door.

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Back in June, we were listening to President Roosevelt on the radio and I

could not believe it, my fellow farmers and me were going to get some relief.

In his broadcast, he informed us he signed The Farm Credit Act; which meant,

I had the opportunity to buy back my farm at the current appraised value

with only a one percent interest. The Smiths were on the brink to lose their

farm too, but this Act also restricts the banks to repossess any more farms.

We all are grasping a breath of fresh air, especially because things around

here were getting out of control. Good men, farmers that I have known for

years were intimidating and even breaking in violence toward the judges to

suspend their foreclosing proceedings. It was madness, but who can blame

them, they were losing all their means.

We moved back to the farm in September; however, farm production is not

how it used to be. My wheat fields are mostly gone and I do not plan to

replant them. You might be wondering why. Well, according to the new

Federal Law of Agricultural Administration Adjustment, I am entitled to

receive subsidies if I do not. President Roosevelt believes that if the

agricultural production is reduced, the scarcity of the commodity products

and livestock will increase; therefore, his administration is paying those who

are holding off planting wheat, corn, cotton, tobacco, rice, hogs and milk.

Yesterday, Betty and I helped the Smiths slaughter 30 pigs. You probably

must be thinking right now, slaughter some pigs, Bob you must be crazy,

what a waste. Again, we are being paid for it. Some friends are skeptical
 Gerardo 3

and have doubts about how this will work out, but might as well try it;

anyway, farming has been in a down cycle since the end of the 20s.

John, my youngest son, moved northeast last month, he is living in New York.

He felt bad he was one more mouth to feed, so he thought it was best to

move to the city and send the money to help us out. Diane and Mary, his

sisters, miss him a lot, but he writes often. On his last letter, he mentioned

he had a temporary job trough the new Civil Work Administration, a program

created to give temporary jobs to the unemployed. He was working on the

construction site of a new park. He earns 15.00 a week, it is not that much,

but it sure does help; and most importantly, it makes him feel worthy. Best

thing you can do in this Great Depression is to stay busy.

If you can, I would like you to send me photos of all the family back in Cork,

Ireland, especially of Uncle Patrick. I would like to keep track of those things.

Well, that is about all for us for now so I will be saying goodbye for today. I

apologize for not writing sooner; however, now that things are much better, I

will keep writing more often.

Your brother,

Bob.