Unemployment During The Great Depression Essay

Imagine this. You wake up one morning in the year 1929, in your luxurious, pricey mansion. You then make your way downstairs to eat that nice big breakfast. Then you kiss your family good bye and head off to your fancy job. You come home that evening and suddenly you’re flat broke. Meaning all your money and life’s savings vanished. Unreal right? Well it was real for hundreds of families on October 29, 1929. The day the stock market crashed and when America’s confidence was challenged greatly.

Following the economic boom of the 1920s, there was a period of economic depression. The United States and its citizens were greatly affected. There were many economic problems that occurred such as unemployment rate rising tremendously and many more. Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt were presidents during that time and dealt with the economic problems. They helped create programs to financially stabilize the country again. The Great Depression ended when the United States entered World War II.

The largest cause of unemployment can be attributed to recession. The term recession refers to the backward movement of the economy for a long period. People spend only when they have to. (Nagle 2009). With people spending less there would be less money in circulation therefore, enterprises would suffer financially and people would suffer too. This is so because recession reduces the fiscal bases of enterprises, forcing these enterprises to reduce their workforce through layoffs. These enterprises lay off their workers in order to cut the costs they incur in terms of wage and salary payments.

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.

Many charities, churches and individuals opened breadline in an attempt to solve the problems by the Great Depression as shown in the photo in document 4, a primary source. These breadlines provided free food to those unemployed who couldn’t make money to afford food. These donations were usually very crowded and the main source of food for unemployed Americans. The F.D.R cartoon in document 6, a secondary source shows F.D.R giving remedies to Uncle Sam with the Congress. The remedies were agencies from the New Deal created by F.D.R designed to help Americans find jobs, but they had to be approved by Congress. One agency was the Townsend Plan or the Social Security Act of 1935 shown in document 7, a secondary source. The Townsend Plan was created to help the elderly who could not work during the Great Depression. The elders had to be over 60 years old with no criminal background and could “retire on a pension of $200 per month.” This was a solution to the elders who could not work during the depression. There were also other agencies created by F.D.R to help the unemployed. For example, the agency, CCC or Civilian Conservation Corps helped 18-25 years old men get jobs created by the government. The men had free shelter and food while sending money back to their families. Therefore, the government, various groups, and individuals took many actions in an attempt to

How does one keep faith in a country during times of destitute and agony? In 1929, the stock market crashed. Poverty struck the country fast like the huge dust storms in the west. The new president, F.D.R, promised to relieve, recover and reform the country with various organizations. Churches and other groups set up food lines. F.D.R’s main goal was to put every American to work. The dilemmas of the Great Depression were soon set out to be handled by actions by the federal and state governments.

The welfare helped feed families tremendously. People could actually know when they're going to eat next unlike without welfare they had no clue when they were going to eat or ever get money again. Many people went back to farming to produce their own food and sell it and get a little profit. Families could use welfare to buy new seed for their field and they could even buy a loaf of bread. Most families used what they needed they wouldn't go and buy something that they would never use they would always make a use for what they bought. John S. McCormick explained, “In 1936, the Mormon Church established the prototype of its current welfare plan which helped augment a multitude of better-late-than-never government relief programs, placing much-needed food on previously empty tables”(Jen). But with welfare, This gave many people jobs to work at have a steady pay so they can buy the supplies they need for them and their family to survive. During the Depression many people couldn't get jobs so when all the factories opened people could actually get jobs and not worry about standing in long charity lines for a little food they could produce enough money to support their families. Some people would use welfare and make food and have a little get together and help other families John S. McCormick described, “During the World War II years, with factories in full operation, and with the assistance of Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal,’ including a work

     By 1933 millions of Americans were out of work. Bread lines were a common sight in most cities. Hundreds of thousands of people scoured the country in search of food, work, or a roof. There was a popular song from this era known as “Brother, can you spare a dime (Modern)?” A big step that happened for the unemployed were the Civilian Conservation Corps, a government program that brought relief to men between the ages of 18 and 25. The Conservation Corps gave jobs to young men in work camps across the country for about $30 per month. There were about 2 million men that took advantage of these jobs (The Great Depression). These men took part in a variety a jobs that included: planting trees, elimination stream pollution, creating game and bird sanctuaries, and conserving natural gases. For the other part of society work relief came in the form of the Civil Works Administration. These jobs consisted of ditch digging to highway repairs to teaching. Civil Works Administration was created in November 1933 and was ceased in the spring of 1934. Roosevelt continued to offer unemployment programs that offered pay (America).

Black Tuesday set off the Great Depression. Unemployment would rise dramatically and many people would lose their homes and so much more. The President at the time was unable to do much to improve the situation, however, when FDR became President he promised Americans a “New Deal”. The works progress administration that would bring relief to many. This institution still stands today in the form of Social Security income, Unemployment insurance and job search assistance. Jonathan Leonard, journalist, was a reporter on the scene. He writes that restaurants, speakeasies and businesses were open and doing great. They all pretended that everything was ok in hopes that it would all blow over like it never happened and go back

The unemployment rate during the Great Depression in 1933 was 25%. Over 12 million people were unemployed with 12,000 people losing their jobs every single day. This is one hardship that brought out the worst in people.

America was poverty stricken in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Families were being forced to ration their food supply and live off what they had. Many were unemployed and living off the rare scraps of those who had little. Some didn't even have clothes. While there were many attempting to get past this tragedy, others gave up.

Economists are still debating over who is truly to blame for this scarring incident. Over the years, many possible solutions have come into play, but nothing was ever definite. Many would say President Hoover is the main culprit. In the 1930’s they created hoovervilles just to honor his ability to bring America to their knees. Photo 7 shows a homeless camp filled with worn down housing made from stone, cardboard, and wood from crates. It is difficult to imagine that these people had to call this their home. A place they had to put their children to sleep

According to Tania Springer, an author for Binghamton University’s website, in the following summer months after the Stock Market Crash of 1929, “industrial production declined, business slumped and depression began in the United States.” To make matters worse, “war debt and reparations… also had much to do with the severity of the Depression” (Springer, Tania). In the article “Aspects of the Great Depression,” Tania Springer estimates that in “1933, about 30 million workers were jobless,” which paved the way for starvation and poverty. In fact, “unemployed people had to cut down on relatively expensive items… in order to obtain enough to eat” (Springer). This conveys how desperate the people were and how incredibly gruesome the time period in which the Great Depression occurred was, for people were fighting for their lives and still not achieving the forever promised “American

The world had faced two main economic problems. The first one was the Great Depression in the early of 20th Century. The second was the recent international financial crisis in 2008. The United States and Europe suffered severely for a long time from the great depression. The great depression was a great step and changed completely the economic policy making and the economic thoughts. It was not only an economic situation bit it was also miserable making, made people more attention and aggressive until they might lose their lives. All the society was frightened from losing money, work and stable. In America the housing market was the main factor of the great depression. A crisis of liquidity appeared in the banks forming a credit crunch. This period was influenced by over extended stock market shortage of water in the south and over trusting. The American government put down some regulations to control the productions which were essential for the war.

The Great Depression of the 1930s was the economic event of the 20th century. The Great Depression began in 1929 when the entire world suffered an enormous drop in output and an unprecedented rise in unemployment. World economic output continued to decline until 1932 when it clinked bottom at 50% of its 1929 level. Unemployment soared, in the United States it peaked at 24.9% in 1933. Real economic output (real GDP) fell by 29% from 1929 to 1933 and the US stock market lost 89.5% of its value. Another unusual aspect of the Great Depression was deflation. Prices fell 25%, 30%, 30%, and 40% in the UK, Germany, the US, and France respectively from 1929 to 1933. These were the four largest economies in