The Great Depression of 1920. Life in the 1920's during this time and what was done to fix these problems.

Essay by bickerchica February 2004

download word file, 1 pages 3.0

The depression lasted about eleven years. The aftershock wasn't just a burden to the poor but it was also a burden to the rich.

After World War I the danger signs were clear that there was a depression heading our way. Many people didn't pay attention to the signs of the depression but some did. The people who paid attention to the signs cashed in their share of stock and took the money with out looking back. But the people who didn't pay attention to the danger signs ended up going bankrupt. Even people who didn't invest in the stock market lost all of their money due to the banks poor judgment. The banks would make unwise loans and the people couldn't pay them back.

One major problem faced during the depression was unemployment. By March 1930 3.2 million were unemployed. Since most people lost their homes people were living in the streets.

Whole families were living in boxes, under bridges and overpasses, and in alleys. The people on the streets were starving so they would stand on street corners and sell stuff to people walking by. The lack of jobs pushed women out of jobs and children into jobs.

Another problem was the way the veterans were treated in Washington. Veterans asked that they be paid their wartime bonus immediately they argued that they needed to feed their families during the depression. They also argued that by spending their bonus on cars, appliances, and houses, they would help create jobs. In order to draw attention to their plan 15,000 veterans went to Washington and camped out until they were driven away. The veterans left either dead or alive due to the violent actions taken by Hoover. This act of cruelty caught the eyes of many Americans.

The mistreatment of...