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Life during the great depression essays
Life during the great depression
Effects of great depression in the usa essay
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Madeline H.
History Major Paper
3 May, 2018
Prompt: How was it that during a time of such economic, personal, and social depression, the popular culture of the US blossomed in a way that had not been seen in our countries history until that point? What factors caused this great cultural flourishing, despite the negative effects of the Great Depression?
In the Great Depression, with no money and nothing else to do, people turned to anything to keep their attention off of their own poverty and misfortune. They distracted themselves by turning to entertainment, art, and literature. Even in a dark time, the country’s traditions and culture prospered.
The easiest, and most popular way to have a good time was going to see moving pictures. These moving
Smiley, Gene. Rethinking the Great Depression. American Ways Series. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2004.
During the 1920’s, America was a prosperous nation going through the “Big Boom” and loving every second of it. However, this fortune didn’t last long, because with the 1930’s came a period of serious economic recession, a period called the Great Depression. By 1933, a quarter of the nation’s workers (about 40 million) were without jobs. The weekly income rate dropped from $24.76 per week in 1929 to $16.65 per week in 1933 (McElvaine, 8). After President Hoover failed to rectify the recession situation, Franklin D. Roosevelt began his term with the hopeful New Deal. In two installments, Roosevelt hoped to relieve short term suffering with the first, and redistribution of money amongst the poor with the second. Throughout these years of the depression, many Americans spoke their minds through pen and paper. Many criticized Hoover’s policies of the early Depression and praised the Roosevelts’ efforts. Each opinion about the causes and solutions of the Great Depression are based upon economic, racial and social standing in America.
Often, the 1930s are classified as the age of economic depression. Although true, the decade has proved to be a time of reform and hope. In the midwest a series of windstorms occurred accompanied by a harsh drought causing the Dust Bowl, while in the more industrialized north, citizens struggled to find jobs. From song lyrics to baseball cards, artifacts from the decade rejuvenated the once crushed spirits of the American people. However, not all Americans regained a sense of hope, and instead some resorted to toxic ways to ease their minds. Moreover, as the Great Depression trudged on through the 1930s, American citizens searched for a way to escape their hardships, yet remained hopeful for a brighter future.
During The Great Depression, people had to find ways to save money on even the bare necessities. One example of this was the widespread use of vacant lots, and land provided bythe cities to grow food. Americans now had to live in the manner of their ancestors, making their own clothing, growing their own food, and agai...
"Everyday Life 1929-1941." Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. Ed. Richard C. Hanes and Sharon M. Hanes. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 305-329. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
The Great Depression was triggered after the stock market crashed in 1929. It was a period of downfall in the economy. This had a great effect on workers, unemployed, and minorities. The amount of unemployed workers increased dramatically. Along with many unemployed workers, it came with 2 long term causes: Many countries were in great debt because of the outcome of World War 1 and banks failed. Hoover got elected because believed in rugged individualism (people are responsible for their successes and failures) and voluntary cooperation (businesses and workers should work together to solve depression). His way of handling the depression was through a wait and see approach. FRD beat Hoover for presidency in 1932. He created programs and
The Great Depression was a period, which seemed to go out of control. The crashing of the stock markets left most Canadians unemployed and in debt, prairie farmers suffered immensely with the inability to produce valuable crops, and the Canadian Government and World War II became influential factors in the ending of the Great Depression.
The arts played a significant role in the Great Depression- not only as a means of escapism for some people, but also a psychological and ideological role that provided inspiration and optimism in a time of severe doubt and fear. For example, film provided an escape for a couple of hours, but also portrayed success during this time period. Many films focused on social realities of the time period, so that people could relate to these films. Films gave images of hope and success because they portrayed ordinary people, such as a girl winning a role in a play, or a man and a woman randomly meeting and falling in love. Andrew Bergman explains the effect of these films in his article Hollywood and the Great Depressi...
Weize Tan History 7B 3/09/14. Chapter 23 1. What is the difference between a. and a. What were some of the causes of the Great Depression? What made it so severe, and why did it last so long? a.
The Great Depression was the biggest and longest lasting economic crisis in U.S history. The Great depression hit the united states on October 29, 1929 When the stock market crashed. During 1929, everyone was putting in mass amounts of their income into the stock market. For every ten dollars made, Four dollars was invested into the stock market, thats forty percent of the individual's income (American Experience).
The Great Depression often seems very distant to people of the 21st century. This article is a good reminder of potential problems that may reoccur. The article showed in a very literal way the idea that a depression can bring a growing country to its knees. The overall ramifications of the event were never discussed in detail, but the historical significance is that people's lives were put on hold while they tried to struggle through an extremely difficult time.
The decade of the nineteen-twenties has been marked as a period of social change. People in post-war America wanted to forget about the horrors of Europe and just enjoy themselves. They wanted good paying jobs and some started their own businesses and companies during this period that are still present today (Stewart 5). President Calvin Coolidge once said that “the business of America is business,” which sums up the mindset of the average American: to make money (O’Neal 58). Once people were able to make quick money through a job, business, illegal alcohol trafficking, or buying and selling stocks, many wanted to be pretentious with their newfound wealth. One book that accurately reflects the ostentatious attitude of people in the twenties is The Great Gatsby. In this novel, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, shows what it was like to have newfound wealth in the American society, a world where flashy cars, big houses and gigantic parties dominated the scene. Americans in this time period had no idea that the next decade would be marked with poverty and homelessness, a decade forever known in history as the Great Depression. This book contains key reasons as to why this all happened. Causes of the Great Depression as described in The Great Gatsby and through historical documentation, include the mentality of the American people after World War I, frivolous spending and lavish partying, people’s dependence on a stock market with frequent irregularity, and the buying of items on credit and loans.
The Great Depression was brought about through various radical economic practices and greatly affected the common man of America. Although all Americans were faced with the same fiscal disparity, a small minority began to exploit those in distress. Along the trek westward from Oklahoma, the Joad family met a grand multitude of adversity. However, this adversity was counteracted with a significant amount of endurance exhibited by the Joads and by generalized citizens of America.
There have been many depressions in American history, but none have lasted as long as the Great Depression. In the past, in order to end these depressions, “a new section of land was opened in the west” and Americans used this opportunity to better the economy and restart their lives. Now during the Great depression, this type of movement is impossible because all the land is taken since Americans did not conserve incase another depression occurred.
"Great Depression in the United States." Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001. CD-ROM. 2001 ed. Microsoft Corporation. 2001