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The United States And The Great Depression Essay

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The United States was forever changed during the 1930s. The United States had just come out of a period of unprecedented wealth. Farmers had abundance of crops, many were investing all of their paycheck into the stock market, and banking-business practices had not changed since the Industrial Era. Many of these factors contributed to the Great Depression. Americans felt as if they were immune to any economic downturn; however by 1932, one in four American “breadwinners” were out of work. On October 24th, 1929, the United States stock market crashed, setting the stage for the worst economic decline the US has ever seen, changing us as a society.
A photographic essay was compiled by Cary Nelson, from the University of Illinois. This essay perfectly captures what you cannot see or read from any textbook. Photos allow us to see in a way that seems more real, one that conveys an emotional response. One of the photos that caught my attention would be of the men staring inside the closed World Exchange Bank, with police standing guard. Up until this point, many Americans earned their living, they supported their families and food was on the table. This photo demonstrates how desperate men were, in order to provide for their families. The thought of stealing money in order to have food for their family, conveys how difficult the depression was. The threat of stealing was so large, that the bank hired police just to stand outside and watch. In a similar article written by Edwin F.

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