Final answer:
During the Great Depression, many Americans lost their jobs and homes, leading to widespread migration across the United States in search of work, which is best described by choice A. 'Hoovervilles' sprung up around cities, and mass movements such as the Dust Bowl Migration occurred, with over 400,000 people leaving the Great Plains for places like California.
Step-by-step explanation:
The effect of the Great Depression on migration can be best described by explaining that as Americans lost their jobs and homes, they were forced to move across the United States in search of work. Statement A, as more Americans lost their jobs and houses, they set out across the United States to look for work anywhere they could find it, is the most accurate. This period saw the emergence of "Hoovervilles," shantytowns on the outskirts of cities where displaced people would live. In rural areas, such as the Great Plains, the drought that started after the stock market crash, also known as the Dust Bowl, exacerbated farmers' and ranchers' struggles, leading to higher rates of migration, especially towards places like California where migrant farming work was sought after.
Farmers who could no longer sustain themselves on their land joined the ranks of the unemployed, who sought any means of survival during these challenging times. Many became migratory laborers, with over 400,000 people leaving the Great Plains. The extreme economic hardship forced families to abandon their homes and communities in hopes of finding sustainable work elsewhere, a decision that would shape the American demographic and economic landscape for years to come.