History Report on the Great Depression- Somwhat edited

[leemadison11]

Really good job. I read an interesting detail on Shmoop that you might want to add. Apparently, rural America was experiencing the Great Depression much earlier than 1929. The entire roaring 20s were a terrible time for them because the crop prices had crashed and they were living abject poverty. All the consumer and technological products the 1920s are famous for were absent in rural America; many did not even have electricity or telephones.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

If you want to know what happened back then, talk to someone old enough to know. Or read something wrote by someone that was there. History books always seen to give more spin than actual history.

A little local history.
TVA was one of the things the government did to help get us out of the depression. It was a great boom to many people but had some hidden issues. They claimed to be buying out farmland that because of the drought the farms were going under so they were saving the farmers. The reality was that they only wanted the river bottom flood plane land. This land is always wet an was very productive. Because the drought caused a food shortage the price of food was high an these farms were still productive, they were actually booming. So the reality of the TVA saving farmers was actually TVA imminent domaining people off there farms, destroying there livelihood an cutting the food supply even more.

 

[dfr1973]

Just a quick note - not all the 1920s were "Roaring" in that there was a short but severe recession in 1920-1921. In the agricultural sector of the economy, it was prolonged and recovery was weak, although in the urban areas things started to "Roar". The Dust Bowl was on top of a stagnant decade, and so it was a huge kick to the middle section of the country. For some real fun, find out about the housing market (smaller section of the overall "consumer" credit in the economy) in the second half of the '20s and then through the '30s.

The Great Depression is a very complex subject, and even today debate rages on regarding causes, effects, and whether it was prolonged by New Deal actions or if it would have continued if not for WW2 starting in Europe. In fact, if you actually look at what was signed, Hoover did try to do something in his term ... that is usually forgotten because it had little effect in the face of the credit collapse.

 

[kareninthesun]

This is pretty good. If you do Google searches though, you will find that before the stock market official crashed, there was a 40 % artificial jump in stocks. Then later, when the market first crashed, since money was very tight and people started to panic, businesses whom were dependant on the earlier flux of welcome sales were left with warehouses stuffed with product and no buyers. Then time flowed into the early 30's and collided with the results of the Dust Bowl. Those whom lived in those areas whom were long used to doing with what they had to tough it out and bring foods/products to the American tables were left with nothing. People died on roads when the thick dust poured through. Crops were non-existant. What little was left was consumed by locusts larger than clouds. Hares literally took over praries and once fertile grounds looking like a horror movie. These familes had few options other than either separating where men hopped railways praying for work elsewhere, or moving to states where they could hopefully make a new start. In part, this is what helped build CA. Families crammed together. But those whom stayed lost their livestock, everything. Literally everything was used and reused until they disintergrated. The stock market was very serious, but I think that we could have overcome this much faster if it weren't for the Dust Bowl. So many people died either directly or indirectly from this. It really wasn't changed until WW11, when jobs brought in money for supplies. It helped unite and focus people with one common bond, until the end when most figured that this would be a fresh start. Between the Stock Market and Dust Bowl, everyone was vulnerable.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I know a man & talked with him for fifty four years he was my father. He was just a boy back then but said every summer he would be shipped off to the country to live with his kin folks. Back in the day the streets were dirt & everyone had horse drawn wagons in the city. It would rain & the horses would poop in the streets & created yellow fever or something of this nature. So, people sent their kids away so I was told. My father said there was no money. When living with his kin folk.
They would farm the land,hunt for meat, & can veggies all summer long. Guess, I'm still living in the depression because I'm still doing the same thing today. Gotta go, I got to let the chickens out -later.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Yea, always wondered why the stock market gets blamed for the Great Depression when only like 1% of people even had money in stocks or worked for companys related to the stock market.

 

[Spookwriter]

It was not one single issue that caused the Great Depression.
There were several things that led to it.

Such as:

Stock Market Crash of 1929
Bank Failures
Reduction in Purchasing Across the Board
American Economic Policy with Europe
Drought/ Dust Bowl

And in the end, there were many things that came from the 1930's.
Both in America, and in the world.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

This has all been very interesting. I learned something from your report, thanks! Grammer and punctuation are hard and I am no good at it!
Good luck.

 

[Spookwriter]

Then try this useless trivia?

Stock markets go as far back as the 11th century.

The New York Stock Exchange began in 1792.

The American Stock Exchange began in 1921.

It was the New York Stock Exchange that failed first,
bringing the others down.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

What grade are you in? Depending on the grade level, what you have compiled could be a great report, or simply not enough information and detail.

As many have said, it was very complex. One thing you could consider is comparing it to our current and recent economy (and how that has affected our daily lives). Some families were far worse off than others. Same today.