Chapter 13: The Great Depression "The Hobo Life"

Introduction During the 1930s, millions of Americans lived awash in the misery of the Great Depression. Poverty, unemployment, and hopelessness broke the ties of some families, and nearly 250,000 teens left home during these desolate times. Braving danger and railroad bulls, many of these homeless teenagers crisscrossed the United States by illegally hopping freight trains. Visit this PBS site to learn the story of the teen hobos, from the reasons they left home to their experiences on the rails. Destination Title: Riding the Rails Note: Clicking on the link above will launch a new browser window. Need help using your browser for this activity? Click here for tips. Directions Start at the Riding the Rails Web site. Click on the "Special Features" section and select the "Tales from the Rails," "Striking A Chord," and "Added Obstacles" topics. You may also select "The Film and More" to read an "Enhanced Transcript" of the film made about this subject. Browse through the site, taking notes as you go. After you have read through the information, answer the following questions. 1. What were the reasons that teens left home during the Depression? 2. What do the hobos' tales reveal about Depression-era poverty? 3. Who were the railroad bulls, and what danger did they present to teen hobos? 4. Why was the homeless life more difficult for African American teens? 5. At the "Striking A Chord" topic you can hear songs written about the hobo life. After reading about life as a teenage hobo and listening to a few songs, use a separate sheet of paper to write your own song lyric from the point of view of a teenager who is riding the rails during the 1930s.