The Dust Bowl was the name given to the Great Plains area in the 1930s. Much of the region was an agricultural area and most of its economy depended on it. Combined with the Great Depression and dust storms, farmers in the Great Plains area were seriously injured. These farmers sought opportunities elsewhere near the Pacific where they were mistreated by others already there. Maltreatment is a form of disenfranchisement, excluding and segregating a group of people from the rest of society. The disenfranchisement of Oklahoma farmers during the 1930s was caused by a combination of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression which forced farmers to move west where they were mistreated because there were not enough jobs. The Great Plains region began deep plowing and destroyed the topsoil and natural grass so that it was blown up by the wind (Boundless.com 1) The Great Plains area consists of parts of Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Additionally, a combination of a long drought and strong winds led to dust storms that created the dust bowl that affected many people. Dust storms are giant clouds of dust that are thrown into the air and collected into clouds that fly violently across the Great Plains. One expert describes one such dust storm by saying: “One of the scariest days during the Dust Bowl decade is called Black Sunday. On April 14, 1935, what began as a clear sunny day suddenly turned into a giant black cloud on the horizon: a huge dust storm. Residents fled their morning chores and sought shelter in cars, homes and shelters before being blinded and trapped... in the middle of paper......and the effects of the Great Depression and widespread drought that killed the their collected. Residents of the Western states feared losing their jobs due to the large numbers of people moving west and tried to stop them. It's not something that only happens in a foreign country; disenfranchisement also happened in America. By studying the history of the Dust Bowl, Americans can learn from the past and work to eliminate such suffering in the future, seeking to ensure that all people are treated equally and with respect, regardless of their race or class. Works Cited Boone, Lynette. "Dust Bowl and the Great Depression." Roll On Columbia the documentary. UO Media Services, nd Web. December 9, 2013. “Dust Bowl Migrants.” Without limits. Np, nd Web. 09 December 2013.Gregory, James N. “Dust Bowl Legacies.” University of Washington. Np, nd Web. 11 December. 2013.