Dangers Of Life During The Great Depression

America (U.S) has economically hit its highs and lows over its 2 ½ centuries of its existence, but none have been more surprising than the Great Depression period from 1929-1933. During first major low in society the stock market crashed due to citizen’s overuse of credit. This wasn’t the only problem there was also a great drought in America’s agricultural plains. Many farmers lost their crops and most of their land, creating a small scale famine in the U.S. People were laid off and people couldn’t provide for their family. One citizen during this time still had a vivid memory of these times,”In New York neighborhoods adults stood in so called 'bread lines,' children begged in the streets.”

The Great depression began in 1929 with a dramatic event called that Wall Street Crash. This led to the failure of banks and businesses all over the United States. Millions of people lost all their savings and their jobs, and thousands became homeless because they could not afford to pay their rent. Some homeless families lived in shacks made of cardboard. Others took the road to look for work. (Bingham J.) As it could be imagined it was very disheartening to many as losing everything that was worked hard for. Many events took place during this time, like the Stock Market Crash, The Dust Bowl, The New Deal and also Prohibition that changed the outcome of what people could and couldn’t do.

"Great Depression: People and Perspectives" by editor Hamilton Cravens, is a book on the people of the Great Depression era. It shows how minorities dealt with the traumatic turmoil of the times, including rural Americans, women, children, African Americans, and immigrants. Furthermore, it offers different viewpoints on the conflict between the social scientists and the policymakers responding to the crisis, the impact that the Great Depression had on the health of U.S. citizens, and the roles of American technology and Hollywood movies that played in helping the nation survive and later prosper. The author’s thesis is that even though the there was a 25 percent unemployment rate, 5,500 banks declared bankruptcy, and 32,000 business declared bankruptcy as well, the Great Depression’s impact was extensive and catastrophic, however, the impact it had on the day-by-day lives of ordinary American citizens was the strongest indicator of the Depression's devastation.

The Depression changed social structure in America forever. “The real story of the 1930’s is how individual families endured and survived, whether battling the despair of hunger and unemployment in the city of the fear of unending drought and forced migration in the dust bowl of the Great plains.” (Press, Petra pg 6)

Many consider the Great Depression a tragedy but few actually know the ways in which it actually affected the people who lived through it. One way it affected the people of the time is the hopelessness it brought. During the early 1920's many men returned from the "Great War" jaded and angry. The same effect was seen in most people during the depression. It was this hopelessness that spawned modernist literature and thought. Another way the depression affected the everyday man was the loss of homes. Many homes were foreclosed during the depression and this left many homeless. In fact the "Okies" were people left homeless after farm foreclosures. The last way the depression affected people was the broken homes it caused. The number of father's leaving their families rose dramatically during

The first way lives were affected during the Great Depression was how families survived. William Loren Katz, in his book An Album of The Great Depression, writes, “In Chicago a government committee discovered this scene at the city dump: when a garbage truck pulled up to unload, thirty-five men, women, and children began digging through the garbage with sticks and hands to find food... Finding jobs was next to impossible, gathering on street corners was easy, and stealing was tempting. Threatening young people with jail was useless because it’s what they wanted” (Katz 50). These families were so desperate to get food that they were willing to do anything for even the smallest scrap.

The Great Depression is one of the most misunderstood events in not only American history but also Great Britain, France, Germany, and many other industrialized nations. It also has had important consequences and was an extremely devastating event in America. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world. When the New York Stock Exchange crashed in October 1929, the United States dropped sharply into a major depression. The world was in wide demand for agricultural goods during World War I, but they had rapidly decreased after the war and rural America experienced a severe depression throughout most of the 1920's and even on into the 1930's.

“Growing up in a time when all you worry about is if your family will be able to make it through to the next day is definitely a very scary and difficult time to live in” (Vonder Haar). My great-grandpa had this to say to my grandpa about growing up during the great depression. For many people in America from the 1930s to 1940s, life was a constant struggle. The people living in the Midwest, especially St. Louis, knew much too well how difficult it was to live through the great depression. When great-great grandpa first came to St. Louis from Germany he purchased a farm. From that point on, my family struggled to maintain the farm that would still exist today. Many people were affected by the great depression. Throughout the time period before

‘The hardships of the Great Depression in Australia were not shared equally.’ (Anderson et. al.,2012)

The Great Depression was a very influential era in American history, affecting many future generations. One of the most prevalent impacts it had on society was the extreme poverty that swept across the nation, affecting both people in cities and in the country. The main cause for this poverty was the mass loss of jobs among the middle class. Millions lost their jobs and consequently their homes. Families lived out of tents and cars in shanty towns or Hoovervilles. In these camps, many people didn’t have their basic human needs met, children and adults alike starved. They lived in clothes that were caked in dirt and tattered, too small for growing children and too cold for the frail elderly. Government relief programs attempted to help but offered little support to the now impoverished families of the millions that lost everything.

Furthermore, up to 24,647 trespassers were killed a along with 27,171 being injured on railroad property (Alva, Danzer, Krieger, Wilson, Woloch 476). As a result of expensive/lack of food, many children ate very less or not at all for quite some time. 20% of America’s children were starving and without proper clothing for the harsh weather. In some mining regions, the percentage of malnourished children reached up to 90% (How the Depression Affected Children). Malnutrition weakens the immune system which is why diseases, such as rickets, increased in children. The infant rate was at its highest point because of lack of prenatal medical care. The Great Depression left many children orphaned and abandoned. Those affected are unable to forget this horrific time of their lives.

What was it like to live during the great depression? How did it affect people's everyday life style? The great depression was an incredibly sad time for most people. People died, lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost everything. This time was definitely a time to remember and not forget, as we should not make the same mistakes as we did back then. During the great depression, people often became poor because they have lost their jobs. The author explains that “Father has lost his job and needed to find a new one” (Hastings). It was hard to keep their home “With no income coming their way, they had to let things go they didn't necessarily need” (Hastings). Families would have to go days, weeks and sometimes months without bathing themselves. Some people had to sell things in their house to buy food and pay for their home.

The Great Depression was a time of tragedy and despair. There are several factors, which have contributed to the health of the nation during the Great Depression. While there were setbacks, there were also improvements during this time. Disabling diseases were more common in low-income families. However, cures for diseases were also found. Studies have found that the life expectancy increased during and after the great depression.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like during the Great Depression? We could imagine that it was no walk in the park. In fact, it was a battle every day to find work, pay for bills, and provide the necessities for the family. The Great Depression gives us a look into the past of the hardship and dedication that the American people had in times of a crisis. The Great Depression affected people across the nation, everyday people were losing hope and falling deeper and deeper into a state of depression.

The stock market crash of 1929 sent the nation spiraling into a state of economic paralysis that became known as the Great Depression. As industries shrank and businesses collapsed or cut back, up to 25% of Americans were left unemployed. At the same time, the financial crisis destroyed the life savings of countless Americans (Modern American Poetry). Food, housing and other consumable goods were in short supply for most people (Zinn 282). This widespread state of poverty had serious social repercussions for the country.