10,000 Miles Away Learning: Homeschool . 歷史 . Changes in Texas

~ 10/29/2021 ~

弟弟喜歡歷史，我們花了數小時在這一章節，雖然時間很長，弟弟仍聽得滋滋有味的，換做英文課，他就會不耐煩了，這是心理作用吧！希望他會客服對ELA的負面想法，慢慢地也愛上ELA。

Life in Texas changed in the first half of the 1900s. Cities grew in a process called urbanization. The oil and gas industry developed and expanded. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl created great hardship for many Texans. World War II (1939-1945) brought many opportunities during a difficult time for Texans and Americans.

Urbanization

<10% Texans lived in the cities in 1900 ---> almost 2/3 lived in the cities in 1950.
Port cities grew such as Galveston and Corpus Christi
Cities grew due to development of railroad, such as Childress, Amarillo, and Dalhart.

Oil & Gas Industry

Spindletop started the oil boom.
Refineries and oil companies were built in Houston, Beaumont, and Port Arthur
In 1923, a new oil field was discovered in the Permian Basin of west Texas. Texas used the profits to create the Permanent University Fund to pay for colleges across Texas, including the University of Texas and Texas A&M University.
refinery oil 'gasoline' allowed people to travel longer distances, made oil-based products, Asphalt 柏油/瀝青，石油精煉過程中的產物（視頻：What's In Asphalt?）. Natural gas was used to create electricity

圖資取自《https://www.britannica.com/place/Permian-Basin》

1900, Pattilo Higgins hired Anthony Lucas to drill a well in Spindeltop Hill, but found no oil
January 1901, an explosion oil shot from the hole, which people called 'Lucas Gusher'. News spreaded, roughnecks, wildcatters and land speculators flooded into Beaumont area.
1908, Beaumont created a shipping channel in the Neches River to allow oil freighters to reach its refineries.
1911, Oil fields were discovered in North Texas, leading to increased growth in nearby Fort Worth.
1918, Natural gas was discovered in the Panhandle; Amarillo grew to support the industry.
1920s, Major oil fields were discovered in the Permian Basin; Big Spring, San Angelo, Midland, and Odessa developed to support the industry.
1914, Houston Ship Channel opened

1929, Houston became the location for 40 oil companies.

The Great Depression

October 1929 until the beginning of World War II ---> stock market crashed. People had no money to pay debt and spend. Shops, factories, and businesses closed.
didn't have much effects on Texas in the beginning as most Texans were farmers and did not own stocks, fewer Texans lost jobs. Soon Texans feel the effects as Europeans could not pay as much for cotton or other products
1932, Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected and proposed New Deal which helped Texans survived the Great Depression