No Promises: A Life During The Great Depression

“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

Everyone was affected during The Great Depression, however not everyone was affected the same way. Many of the rich felt no impact and were oblivious to the sufferings of others around them. Forty percent of the country never faced any hardship and the unemployment rate fell below fourteen percent in 1941 and in 1933, Toledo, Ohio’s had reached 80 percent, and nearly ninety percent of Lowell, Massachusetts was unemployed.

The Great Depression was a hard time for many people. Many parents, and kids, had to have the will to drive themselves to work many, many jobs. Parents also had to have the “ability to stretch every available dollar” (Hastings). In Digging In, the author said his dad sold iron cords door to door, bought a horse to break gardens, “worked a day in the hay”, picked peaches, rented out an extra lot for a garden on the shares, raised some sweet potato slips, painted houses for about $5 a house, hung wallpaper, sometimes traded an infrequent dozen of eggs at the grocery store, worked at the strip mines one or two days, cut hair for boys in the neighborhood, guarded the fence at the county fairgrounds, sold coal orders, and when he could, worked occasionally on WPA, an organization to employ millions of unemployed workers. That is a lot of work!

I remember coming home on a Monday afternoon and standing in front of the mirror in my room. Mascara and eyeliner were smeared all over my face, and my eyes were puffy. I went over to my dresser and grabbed the small pill bottle laying on top of it. I started off by taking 5. 5 turned into 10; 10 turned into 20; and before I knew it, I had taken 35 pills.

One of the positives that happened during the Great Depression was that many people showed kindness to strangers who were struggling, even though they were struggling themselves. People often gave food, clothing, and a place for the homeless to stay. Families help other families and shared resources and strengthened the bonds within the community.

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.

It is difficult to imagine the horrors of the Great Depression. Many people had to live with nothing for at least 10 years. Parents had to do all they can to support their families. This Depression affected the whole world, yet it had a greater effect on the U.S. During this time the Great Depression had a great effect on Americans.During these times, many could not buy their daily items, many had to live with never using these items again. They had to get rid of clothes, sweets, electricity and got their water from wells. “ People began to cut down on their expenses and to go without new clothes, furniture and other goods” (Hayes). Cutting down these expenses caused businesses to fail. After cutting back on items and items used daily, people learned to live without these items, “ Looking back, I find it amazing what we went without”

Pain, despair, loss, depression, anxiety. Those are the things that somehow made me as I am today. On October 8th I was born, a happy baby who had no idea the rough road ahead. When I was in second grade my parents got divorced. I was close to my mom so when she moved away I was lost in a whole new way. My dad had always had some anger issues but when they split it was a little more frequent. I had to move schools the next year and it was weird because I didn’t know anything about public school. I remember one day a girl walked up to me and asked if I wore mascara and I didn’t even know what that was. I didn’t know how to make friends, so I decided to be friends with the first person I met. That was a big mistake because she was just

The Great Depression was a long and severe recession in the economy and/or the market. Life during the Great Depression was a depression for many people. The World War II helped the Great Depression end and help people live at least live better lives. World War II lasted from September 1, 1939-September 2, 1945. It had lasted six years!

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.

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 tough time for many. From 1929 until 1939, lots of people were homeless and jobless. In 1933 the unemployment rate hit an all time high of 25%. There were 15 million unemployed and nearly half of the banks failed in the country. Thorough all this pain what kept many people moving forward were their dreams a better life.

The Great Depression was a time of great struggle. The stock market crashed in 1929, which accounted for 40 percent of America’s capital. People lost their life savings as the banks scrambled to refill their coffers. Farm income fell 50 percent. Corporations collapsed. Businesses closed. Roughly one-fourth of the nation lost their jobs. Those who were able to keep their jobs experienced an over 30 percent drop in salary. This catastrophe did not affect everyone though. The Upper Class was largely unaffected by the state of the nation. They went on having lush parties and living fancily. In retrospect, they probably saved a lot of livelihoods. Those in the service and entertainment industry were able to maintain a steady

The Great depression was an era that caused despair within many families. Millions of them had lost all of their money and businessmen only wanted to hire white men. President Roosevelts’ speech brought hope back to the people and reminded them that the governments “greatest primary task [was] to put people back to work” and that soon they would have an income again. (Roosevelt 11) The Great Depression is an era that will always be

When life is tough you have to be tougher. This is what I remember when I have to become strong and act mature like an adult. The circumstances of the Great Depression forced many young people to go from an adolescent world into an adult world, and use their toughness.