State Historical Society of Iowa

Letter from Martha Fast to First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, January 2, 1931

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Courtesy of Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, Fast, Martha, 2 January 1931

Description

This 1931 letter is from a girl, Martha Fast, to First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. In the letter, Martha, who is writing from California, asks for clothing from the First Lady as says she has to wear the same dress every day because of the poverty her family is facing during the Great Depression. A few days later, Hoover's secretary writes Fast a response to her request for clothes. 

Transcript of Martha Fast's Letter to Lou Henry Hoover

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Why would Martha Fast write Lou Henry Hoover this letter?
  • What evidence proves that Fast’s family live in poverty?
  • Look at the reply from Lou Henry Hoover's secretary. How would you feel if this was the reply to your letter?

Citation Information 

Fast, Martha, 2 January 1931. Courtesy of Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum