What Caused The Dust Bowl DBQ

By: Talia Cunningham

Have you ever heard of the Dust Bowl? It was a time
period where a big drought came over the middle of
America. It caused large amounts of topsoil to be picked up.
The soil caused massive clouds of dust. The storms made life
hard for people in the areas. We can tell that it was hard to
live through but what we dont know is, what caused the
dust bowl? I think the main reason the dust bowl happened
was poor farming techniques, short grass farming, and no
rain.
The first thing that helped cause the dust bowl was
poor farming techniques. When the tractor was invented
people used it all the time to harvest crops more easily.
When they would plow, dust would be left behind the tractor
and small pieces of the crops that might have gotten
shredded lay on the fields. This shows that when it may have
been easier for the farmers then, it caused a much bigger
problem later. (Document C).
The next thing that leads up to the dust bowl was short
grass prairies. I know it might sound silly that grass could
cause such a massive storm, but it did. When the farmers
plowed the short grass, the roots would be the only things
left. When winds blew and they started to decompose they
became dust. Layer after layer the dust would cake up and
every time the wind blew, they would go into the air. Sooner
or later the root dust and shredded crops would become one
big dust cloud. (Document B).
The last reason that DEFINENTLY leads up to the dust
bowl was the big drought. If the shredded crops would pile
up and so would roots from the short grass we needed
something to wash it away. There was one problem, it hadnt
rained enough! The amount of rain needed for crops to grow
was twenty inches, it had been from 16.38 to 18.02! If crops

werent growing then certainly dust couldnt be washed

away . This just proves that food was scarce because crops
couldnt grow and dust that had formed couldnt wash away.
(Document E).
In conclusion, there were three main reasons the dust
bowl happened. They were poor farming practices, short
grass prairies, and rain shortage. Documents C, B, and E
showed that these reasons were accurate. In the dust bowl
people inhaled dust from the plants and roots and died and
the powder was so fine it went through the walls. Also when
it doesnt rain you have a problem because plants wont
grow and you will starve and any dust will not be washed
away. Thats what caused the dust bowl.