In 1937, in response to the economic hardships brought on by the Great Depression, the

Courtesy of Library of Congress. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein.

Gee's Bend During the Great Depression

In 1937, in response to the economic hardships brought on by the Great Depression, the federal government established a cooperative land program in which Gee's Bend residents were given the opportunity to purchase and control the land they farmed for the first time.