The Great Depression-Depression of the 1930's

The Great Depression and It's Effects on General Society

The Depression of the 1930's was a very hard time for the middle and lower classes in America. Due to the depression, both classes had to struggle to survive and give up many of their favorite pastimes due to lack of monetary funds. Blacks had to give up low paying jobs to upper class white males who had lost their higher paying jobs. Mexican workers were sent out of the country. Many people, especially farmers, were evicted from their houses and forced to live on the outskirts of their hometowns in crates and literal holes in the ground with sheets as roofs. The Depression changed many people of it's time and left a mark on them forever. No longer would the used items be thrown away; instead, they would be reused again and again.

One reason for the depression was the unstable economy.

United States

English: Crowd gathering on Wall Street after the ...

A solemn crowd gathers outside the Stock Exchange ...

The United State's wealth was not spread evenly. Instead, most money was in the hands of a few families who saved or invested rather than spent their money on American goods. The stock market boom was another cause. It was very unsteady because it was based on borrowed money and false optimism. Also, supply was greater than demand. Farmers and workers made no money. When investors lost confidence, the stock market collapsed, taking everyone down with it. The final straw was the Stock Market crash of 1929. Then came the Great Depression.

Perceptions of the depression vary between class, sex and race. Minorities felt like they were totally abandoned and their jobs were stolen from them, while wealthy white citizens may not may not have had any changes in lifestyle at all. President Hoover gave a Thanksgiving address during the heart of the depression. In it...