The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was one of the most destructive in the history of the United States, proving that the levee only policy was a failure and the limits of human control over the river. The beginning of the flood, from the initial crevasse, poured out “468,000 second-feet onto the Delta that triple the volume of a flooding Colorado, more than double a flooding Niagara Falls and the entire upper Mississippi ever carried” (pg 203). The flood of 1927 “shifted perceptions of the role and responsibility of the federal government… shattered the myth of a quasi-feudal bond between Delta blacks and the southern aristocracy...accelerated the great migration of blacks north. And it altered both southern and national politics....” …show more content…
Repeated events, highlighted by the flood of 1993 and the fallout of Katrina, continues to illustrate the US Army Corps of Engineers’ failure in strengthening flood control up and down the Mississippi, including the redesign and upgrading levees. America is a product of this constant struggle in dominating nature using science and reason. In order to preserve the way of life along natural reoccurring flood regions, the fallout of the 1927 flood pressured the federal government to expand its role to assist in relief aid for the refugee victims. The national spotlight on the flood of 1927, forced President Coolidge to assign Hoover in organizing humanitarian relief aid. This enabled Hoover to spread his ideals that the government, “Should help individuals indirectly… best serve the community by bringing about cooperation in a large sense between groups. The failure of groups to respond to their responsibilities for others that drives government into the lives of people” (pg 370). Hoover rejects state socialism and strives for developing individual altruism through government organizational assistance. This social expectation influences the role of the government to its citizens. The humanitarian relief effort sole reliance was on private charities and continues today, in particular the Red Cross. The government continues its
As I was reading as The Great Molasses Flood of 1919, I was shocked!The closest relation that I could possibly think of that I have seen is the rainfall flood of 2008 in Saline County, Illinois. I remember going outside and wading in water, it was almost impossible to drive and buildings were flooded majorly. “Excess of 12 inches above normal.” (Flood of 2008) When I walked outside, I could not believe my eyes! I didn’t even think it was possible for Carrier Mills to get as much rain as it had
When a huge storm caused the Missouri River to overflow in 1993, its water swept through Hardin. Water swept through Hardin,destroying homes and other buildings. Then something terrible happened that the town would never be the same: the dead rose up from the cemetery. It destroyed homes and buildings, and unearthing nearly 600 coffins from the local cemetery. As storm after storm pummeled the Midwestern United States, rivers began to overflow their banks. Throughout the summer, floodwater destroyed homes and businesses, and roads and bridges were washed away. The flooding didn’t and unit fall, and by then, more 20 million acres of land. Fifty people had died, and 55,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
Control of the Mississippi River during the War Between the States was an economic and psychological factor for both the North and the South. For many years, the river had served as a vital waterway for mid-western farmers shipping their goods to the eastern states. The farmers, along with politicians and merchants, did not like the idea of the river being closed because of Confederate artillery looming along the banks where the Mississippi River, the “Father of Waters,” flowed through the Confederacy. While the War Between the States was occurring, large traders and public figures were not able to use this river.
This left Hoover and the American people, local, and state governments with no choice, but to stand together to balance unemployment through the use of public works, volunteerism, and a laissez-faire government. Although the depression was a devastating time, it also helped to shape Hoovers’ dream of “American Individualism” by allowing him to establish new agencies and his vision of a laissez-faire government. As the American Economy continued to collapse, the people looked to Hoover and the Seventy-Second Congress for help. Hoover had already established himself in his pre-presidency days as a man who “[m]ore than any single American, had encouraged organizations, principally trade association and farm organizations to introduce orderly, rational, and bureaucratic procedures to entire industries” (Fausold 113) and now was the time to put “American Individualism” to work with congress’s help, or so he thought. Hoovers’ first order of business was established new agencies so that American businesses could stimulate the economy. In Hoovers’ Presidency and political life, he was able to establish the Farm Board, Federal Drought Committee, President’s Organization on Unemployment Relief, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), and Home
Flooding of the settlement was problematic. By 1812, the settlers had built miles of levees on the banks of the river. For the next two hundred years, the surrounding wetlands were drained to eliminate swamps filled with yellow fever carrying mosquitoes and to encourage economic development. Draining water from peaty soils encouraged subsidence. The land which was just inches above sea level to begin with steadily sank. In combat of this, higher and stronger levees were built, tightening the straight jacket already placed upon the Mississippi River. The massive flooding of 1928 brought further flood control systems implemented by the Army Corps of Engineers with Congressional blessing. By the 1950’s, dramatic rates of land loss in Louisiana’s coastal zone stretched across 300 miles from Texas to Mississippi and inland 50 miles. (Tibbetts)
A plundering devastation into the heart of America left thousands of American dreams and beings crushed by an invisible malefactor engendered no other than ourselves. The steps Herbert Hoover took during the Great Depression were not adequate to dig America out of the economy downfall. Programs that were created to put people back to work and avail state and local charities with aid didn’t benefit the majority of the population, compared to those who genuinely needed it. American citizens decreed Hoover’s presidency as the situation crescendo; not even all the way into the depression the public's ratings of Hoover were ostensibly low. In 1931, he pledged federal aid in case of starvation in the country; however he still had yet to witness the devastating starvation of Americans from all social stances and ages. He was rooted so deeply in his American philosophy that he could be viewed as neither intentionally ignorant nor merciless. Hoover grasped tight onto his political stance that hinder the efficient help he needed to provide while the Great Depression started to make a home in America; leading to the frustration and exasperation of American citizens.
In this paper I will inform you with a few of these events and topics such as the Civil war, slavery, as well as facts of the state. I hope my readers walk away with a new respect and outlook of Mississippi and learn how the past can affect the future, as well as the beauty.
Mississippi history is burdened with labels of poverty, racism, and unhealthy lifestyles. Nowhere is more apparent than in the Mississippi Delta region. Poverty, racism, and unhealthy lifestyles are all
Additionally, Hoover refused assistance from the Government. His “response to the crisis was constrained by his conservative political philosophy.”( ) Hoover vetoed many bills that would offer assistance towards the struggling Americans. Believing that Help should be from voluntary basis from locals, Hoover accepted almost zero help from
“Johnstown flood” is a short story written by David McCullough. This story talks about the miraculous survival of a little girl named Gertrude. Gertrude’s sheer luck got her up the hill safely. Of course, with the help of several people she met along the way. I think that this is an extraordinary act of how worked together and some people put his/her life at risk to save a small child that they didn’t even knew. I fell that this is a great example of how human beings come together in times of need and extreme danger and in the way that we try to protect ourselves from disaster.
The twentieth state of the United States had quite some history to go through, starting with what is its name, the natives that started and the slave trade that led to the unwanted war of America. Mississippi brought a lot nationalism which brought a lot of social inequality. This essay will lightly cover the background and history that Mississippi holds.
The Maumee River Basin is an important aspect of our communities. Water is important to our everyday life. Pope Francis calls us to examine our lives and becomes aware of the many issues being faced on our earth. It is important to establish a relationship with creation. The first step in doing so is becoming informed and acting. This semester we focused one of the several issues affecting us globally as we’re as locally. The issue that I decided to learn about was the local issue on flooding. In Fort Wayne and surrounding in the 1845’s the great flood. The great flood killed a family of 6. Floods are local issues that are not focus on. In the
This spring, record breaking floodwaters along the Mississippi River caused massive damage in nine states, totaling over $25 billion dollars in damage (Watts, 2011). In most areas the floodwaters have receded, however there is concern that even a little rain could cause more flooding due to the already saturated land. As cities and towns are beginning the restoration process, one thing caused by the flooding waters cannot be restored. Pollutants’ such as nitrogen from fertilizer, due to this area being primarily composed of farming land, is making its way toward the Gulf of Mexico. Every year pollutants traveling in the Mississippi River enter the Gulf and contribute to the Coastal Dead Zone; however, this year the Dead Zone in the Gulf
In 1993, the Midwest experienced the worst flood in American history affecting ten states in the Upper Mississippi River basin. The flooding lasted from late spring to fall, killing fifty-two people and damaging a 100,000 homes and businesses. The cause of the flooding was a heavy winter with lots of snow and a spring season full of rain, which saturated the soil. Instead, of a hot summer, the rain kept coming and the Upper Mississippi River Basin received three and a half times its normal rain. Since it continuously rained, the water levels kept rising and many of the levees broke. The water levels stayed high for weeks destroying towns and agriculture all throughout the Midwest.
While the catastrophic failure of the levees in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina can be attributed to the Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”), the Corps’ failures can be attributed to fundamental flaws within the accountability environments they were operating in during both the building and the maintenance of the levees. Legal and bureaucratic accountability were the primary and secondary accountability approaches at work, with legal accountability most notable during their planning and construction process, and bureaucratic accountability taking precedence during their oversight process. Ironically, while these are the forms of accountability that should contain the highest degrees of control, critical failures resulting from each of these accountability environments led to the Corps, in practice, having an extremely low degree of control and ultimately led to the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina .