4. Identify the principal factors that contributed to the "Dust Bowl."

The main factors that contributed to the Dust Bowl were poor environmental practices, prolonged drought, and high winds. Poor environmental practices included over-tilling and overgrazing the land, leading to soil erosion. The prolonged drought lasted from 1931 to 1939 and resulted in a lack of precipitation to nourish the soil. High winds in the area, as well as dust storms caused by soil erosion, further dried out the land. The combination of these factors caused an incredibly destructive period of ecological destruction that would become known as the “Dust Bowl.”