The Great Depression was a test of character and strength. The poverty ridden United states was a testament to the strong and willing. During this Depression women where the backbone to society. Women helped when no one else would. They gave when there was nothing to give and fought for those who could not. Listening to interviews of women recalling the Depression era lays out a similar theme. A need to help those who had nothing. Even women who had almost nothing themselves helped when they could.
Three women, Kitty McCullough, Emma Tiller, and Dorothy Bernstein all told a similar story of giving. Kitty McCullough recounted poor traveling men who stopped and asked for money. She would not have money to give but gave them food instead. One man she had helped wore shabby clothes so she gave away her husband’s best suit. When she told her husband, she stated, “anyway you have three
…show more content…
The white women would claim if they helped the white man he would have just kept coming back. Though the women regularly helped African American men, even giving money for cigarettes. Tiller being an African American woman discussed her and others secretly leaving food by trash cans for the white men. This was so they had help without the white women knowing. That was only when they were at work. Emma Tiller shared a similar scene of traveling men asking for help at her door. Tiller states, “I had gone in my house and taken my husband’s old shoes and his clothes and some of em’ he needed em’ himself but, I didn’t feel he need em’ as bad… because that man was in a worser shape than he was in” (CITE). Tiller was stating that she had seen these men scavenging and invite them to stop at her home. Like Kitty, though she was personally not well-off, she gave something nice her husband had away. Simply over the idea these men had even less than them so why would they not
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
Imagine you’re driving down a road and arrive at a red light. As you glance to your right, you see a woman standing there with a sign that reads, “Without work, anything will help”. Do you stop and give the spare change in your purse? Do you look the other way? Poverty is a difficulty that affects numerous families not only in the United States, but around the world. Jeannette Walls shows in her memoir, The Glass Castle, which describes her hardships as a child, that some poverty-stricken families chose to remain silent, afraid of the embarrassment they feel they’d face, or in denial of their situation. Despite the various drawbacks that weighed down the families hopes of survival, it only lit a fire in Jeannette to become a strong woman who appreciates what she has, knowing it could all disappear in an instant.
That was not the case in this situation. Even though they were white, they weren’t treated the same because of the standards that were set by those with authority. As found on page 18 he says “Race and all its categories have no significance outside the system of privilege and oppression in which they are created in the first
The Great Depression was a time period where America’s future was jeopardized by the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Before the depression, America was flourishing during the “roaring twenties” in fashion, cars, and income. In the year 1920, women were given the right to vote, making our society a better outline of the Declaration of Independence. Even though our nation became a model for the declaration, many privileges were not given to other classes or races such as African Americans not having the right to vote until the year 1965. The Depression both contradicts and abides by our nation’s Declaration because some people were not fully liberated such as the foreign immigrants, and the guarantee that all people will have a voice to speak out and a right to stand up for themselves.
During the Great Depression, America was in a big predicament. Once president Franklin D. Roosevelt came into presidency, his responses to try and help his nation were effective, but they did not do as promised because they did not help women, they hurt the economy, and they penalized the wealthy for being successful. During the Great Depression the women were not being helped. On Document 1 it explains how women were not helped the way men were.
The Great Depression was a time of economic problems for many Americans. During the Great Depression, because of the lack of money, many men would stand outside of soup kitchens in long lines just to get a little bit of food, as seen
Women, during the Great Depression, had the toughest time out of all of the people who lived through the Great Depression for many reasons. Women often had to sell themselves on the street to
The Great Depression transformed American society and the way people thought about themselves and their relationship to the country. During this horrendous time period, many people lost many important pieces in their lives like money and jobs. Millions of families lost their savings as many banks collapsed in the early 1930s. They were unable to make rent payments or mortgage and many were removed from their apartments. The Great Depression challenged American families in vital ways, placing great economic demands upon families and their members.
The Great Depression. The worst financial crisis to ever hit America. Unemployment rates of over 25%. A 50% decrease in national income. Billions of dollars lost in a single day. (Trotter, pg.8) The Depression affected everyone in America. Young and old, rich and poor, black and white, none were spared. However, for America’s 12 million African Americans (Encyclopedia of Race and Racism) the Depression didn’t just start in 1929.(Africa to America: From the Middle Passage Through the 1930s) African Americans were a subjugated minority. Racism wasn’t only present in America, it was accepted by many. In the South, Democrats fought to keep African Americans under harsh segregation and oppressive laws. (Trotter, pg. 9) Efforts to relieve
The Great Depression can be a tough subject for most people, but still inspiring to others. The Great Depression was a very difficult time for America as well as women. The women of the Great Depression struggled through many trials, as did many others in the United States, but they were able to get through it all. The women of the Great Depression worked their hardest to stay true to themselves, and their family, as well as, to keep a job, a stable household, and for some, a strong marriage.
Over the years America has grown and learned from their mistakes, take in challenges, and work through it all. During the period between the stock market crash and the Pearl Harbor bombing, America was struck by the worst economic crisis. Stock prices dropped and workers lost their jobs. Families who had barely anything lost everything. American families were left unemployed and without any money.
The Great depression caused many problems for black people and they were greatly affected by it. Problems of the Great Depression affected every American, however, African Americans were the most affected. By 1932 half of Black Americans were out of work. In some Northern cities, blacks were fired so that a white person could take their job. But yet again, racial violence became more common, especially in the South. Even when President Roosevelt was trying to end the Great Depression there was still a conflict between the blacks and whites in the New Deal Housing and employment projects. This just goes to show that once everything has been set in motion that it can't really become a non-normal thing. Everyone was mostly worrying about themselves and their own people that they didn't bother
Why was the Great Depression such a hard time for Americans? In 1929 the stock market crashed in America. Which resulted in massive amounts of disarray, and caused Nine Thousand U.S. Banks to Fail. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, African Americans were hit the hardest by the scarcity of jobs and money. During the Great Depression almost all of the blacks were fired from their jobs and had no way to sustain themselves or their families due to the loss of food and money. After being fired it was nearly impossible for them to get another job, and if they did happen to be hired they received almost no pay. John Hardman wrote, “The Great Depression of the 1930s worsened the already black economic situation of black Americans. African
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.
The Great Depression was a time of economic loss. People lost their homes, and lost everything they had earned. It affected the middle and low class americans, and the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. People in upper classes even dropped to the lower class. It began on October 29, 1929, and the leading cause was the crash of the stock market. Everyone who put their money into stocks had lost everything they had, including the Braddock family. In the movie Cinderella james braddock and his family show the struggle of life during the great depression. Overall Cinderella Man showed many of the different aspects we covered, and was worth the watch during the class.