During the Great Depression, entertainment was a necessity during these hard times. Movies were one way many families could entertain themselves. During this era, Shirley Temple’s movies were quite popular among kids and adults. Another way many adults entertained themselves was by dancing. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire’s movies took over the nation and many people wanted to be able to dance like them. Dance competitions were held and there were many advantages. There was only a small fee to compete, food and shelter were provided, and if you won you would get a large cash prize. Sports were other ways people used to be entertained. In 1932, the Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York which provided people entertainment.
The Great Depression is one of the worst time for America. Books, cartoons, and articles have been written about the people during the Depression and how they survived in that miserable period. For example, the book Bud not Buddy takes place in the time of the Great Depression. Bud is a ten year old orphan, who was on the run trying to find his dad. There are many feelings throughout the book like sadness and scarceness. There are many diverse tones in the book about what people were feeling at the time.
During the 1930’s, the Great Depression was in full swing. The Depression was a period in American History when the economy was horrible. Most people did not have jobs, and if they did their paycheck was barely enough to put food on the table. At that time, many people did not experience happiness very often because of their money situations. However, there was one person who could turn any frown upside down, Shirley Temple. Shirley Temple, the best known child star of her time, ascended to unparalled box-office heights during the worst of the Great Depression, and brought humor and happiness to people in a time of great need.
The Great Depression, beginning in the last few months of 1929, impacted the vast majority of people nationwide and worldwide. With millions of Americans unemployed and many in danger of losing their homes, they could no longer support their families. Children, if they were lucky, wore torn up ragged clothing to school and those who were not lucky remained without clothes. The food supply was scarce, and bread was the most that families could afford. Households would receive very limited rations of food, or small amounts of money to buy food.
Slowly she asked "Is anyone there?" as she walked down the dark deserted road. When she heard a loud sound she turned abruptly trying again "Hello?" Met with only silence she picked up here pace almost running down the dirt road. Her nerves had just began to calm when she heard "WRRRREEENNNNNRRRRRRR" as a chainsaw started behind her. Running she started looking behind her hoping that whoever it was, wouldn’t catch her. With her lack of concentration she tripped over her high heels and face plants into the dirt, giving the murderer a chance to catch up. Slowly he lowered the chainsaw and began cutting --CUT -- This is a common plot used in horror movies today. Movies have changed over the years. They were different five years ago, fifty years ago, and even a almost a century ago. Technologies have unthinkable things possible. They have allowed us to re-sink "the unsinkable ship." They have allowed us to see dinosaurs in all their brutal glory. We have seen imaginary creatures, only ever mentioned in stories brought to life. Movies have moved so far from the 1920's and 1930's. They have developed ideals, rules and even standards; but where did they begin? Did movies just fall out of the sky? Did they just come into being? No they began slowly, silently moving towards a new era, the era we today call "Pre-code Hollywood"
The Great Depression is where the film industry boomed with new types of movies like: gangster films and musicals. It was a hard time for people in this era to get by. Most people spent their time watching movies like: gangster films, musicals and comedies, like Modern Times and The Public Enemy and get away from the bad times of the Great Depression. Each film showed the Great Depression in different ways but both ways worked will.
The experiences of Americans during the Great Depression varied greatly. For most, the Great Depression was a time of hardships and trials. The way that people were tried were different though, some languished in a collapsed economy, while others had to struggle to make a living in the remote regions of the country.
The Great Depression and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath Though most Americans are aware of the Great Depression of 1929, which may well be "the most serious problem facing our free enterprise economic system", few know of the many Americans who lost their homes, life savings and jobs. This paper briefly states the causes of the depression and summarizes the vast problems Americans faced during the eleven years of its span. This paper primarily focuses on what life was like for farmers during the time of the Depression, as portrayed in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, and tells what the government did to end the Depression. In the 1920's, after World War 1, danger signals were apparent that a great Depression was coming.
Since the Great Depression occurred it caused betting on horse racing illegal, therefore individuals took a toll to the Mexican horse racing business, and Tijuana became the place to be, aside from the legal use of alcohol in Mexican since it was illegal to drink in the U.S. at the time. Horse racing and baseball became a huge sporting event in America, it was a way for individuals to escape out of their struggles, a time to not think about the depression and be with family to listen the race live. When the Great Depression hit a great number of people had radio in their home, so whenever Seabiscuit began racing, everyone turned on to hear the victory of this
The Great Depression was felt worldwide, in some countries more than others. During this time, many Americans had to live in poor conditions. In the United States, 25 percent of the workers and 37 percent of all nonfarm workers lost their jobs (Smiley 1). Unemployment rates had increased to 24.9 percent during 1933 (Shmoop 1). Unable to pay mortgages, many families lost their homes.
After four hard years of fighting, Canadians celebrated the end of the Great War. Many returned to the country early in 1919, only to be brought down by the lack of employment and other disappointments. However, slowly, good times returned back to Canada, as the country ushered into a new era known as the “Roaring Twenties”. Many Canadians participated in the good life as the wealthy, as well as average families had more money to spend. Economic prosperity and technological advances brought Canadians pleasure to their lives. Canadians tuned in to their radios, used the automobile, cheered for their home sports teams, followed new fashion trends, listened to the same music and did the same dances. In addition, the 1920s marked the growth of movies as Canadians packed theatres to watch their favourite stars. The 1920s were one of the most important and revolutionary times for the film industry.
In the years of economic recession and the crisis of unemployment, people struggle to change their lives around during the great depression. During the events leading to the great depression was the aftermath of World War 1 where the United States and other countries around the world had experience economic slowdowns and the start of unemployment. The start of the great depression took place during the stock market crash of 1929 where stock prices starts to plummet. The depression didn’t end until the start of World War 2 in 1939.
The Great Depression was a major historical event that affected thousands of Americans during the 1930s. It was a time in which economic decline left people without jobs while struggling to keep a family and home together. It certainly was a devastating time for everyone. For African Americans, it was even more of a struggle as segregation and the oppression of blacks were just as strong as when the Jim Crow laws were initially established. “African Americans were only 64 years beyond enslavement, with de jure segregation relegating them to second-class citizenship and generally only the meanest, dirtiest employment.” (Bilal) During the Great Depression, music and jobs were taken by whites and African Americans struggled greatly. Holiday faced racial challenges in which her social status, as a young black woman, left her with only a few options for work. Occupations such as a washwoman or a prostitute were such jobs expected out of a young woman of her time.
During the Great Depression, many middle and upper- income families first faced poverty in America. They were hard-working people who pursued the values and ideals of American dream and lived comfortably until several downturn of the American economy. Thousands of banks had failed and millions of Americans were unemployed that they were looking for work but couldn’t find it. Many of Americans became homeless and breadlines and soup kitchens were widely spread through the towns and cities.
The Great Depression is a time in the history of the United States that people have learned and gained knowledge from. Its harsh times and conflicts have been written about in books, seen in movies, talked about on radios, and told to families throughout the generations. Seeing how life was during the 1930s in the movie, The Cinderella Man, was a great eye opener to how the people of this time truly survived and kept their true humanity in times of havoc. The time of the 1930s should be an inspiration to the nation and cause many to do well and live life smart and prosperous.
They helped provide entertainment to people in more ways than one. However, not all people were as happy as most. The Great Depression and the Great Migration occurred during this time and both caused hard times across the nation. The Harlem Renaissance, which occurred in the late 1920s, was an important part of the United State’s history.