Hoover's inability to ease the effects of the Depression earned him criticism from all sides. Despite his many optimistic predictions about recovery, the economy continued to slide. The press portrayed him as insensitive to the plight of the people and uncaring. The popular humorist Will Rogers wrote, "It's almost been worth this depression to find out how little our big men know." Hoover's name unjustly became associated with the Depression in many unflattering ways. Hoover flags were a nickname for turnedout empty pockets; Hoover blankets were the newspapers the homeless used to keep themselves warm; Hoover wagons were broken-down cars that were restored to use by being pulled by horses or mules. Hoovervilles were shanty towns built out of whatever crates, flattened tin cans, and auto parts that could be scrounged from junkyards and garbage cans. They housed the homeless. Hoovervilles were built under bridges and in...