The Wall Street Crash of 1929 caused an economic depression throughout America that impacted on its society in many varyingly devastating ways. Some of which includes many Americans becoming poverty stricken, unemployed and suffering in terrible living conditions. However, to a lesser extent, the crash also laid the foundation for future prosperity and began many new optimistic development plans and employed many people on the rebuilding of the USA. Either way, the Wall Street Crash had a veritable impact on the lifestyle, livelihood and overall morale of the American people because it was so direct and so interconnected in its devastation. This widespread effect exacerbated the situation for most Americans, but more specifically the poorest …show more content…
These long queues show the expansive cases of hunger that were present due directly because of the crash. The fact this food was “free” (10) really shows that people did not have any money. Consequently, all this unemployment led to terrible living conditions. Many Americans had to live in “Hoovervilles” which was a “survival technique used by the unemployed “ to alleviate their increasingly undesirable living conditions (6). Hoovervilles were make-shift houses that were basically shack-like in size and structure and they were the only alternatives to living homeless. These shacks were made out of cheap materials, which people used to shelter themselves. Hooverville’s came about as a result of people not being able to afford to pay rent and having had nowhere to live. These conditions were terrible with no proper sanitation, basic amenities or clean water. The people siting around and doing nothing characterized the unemployment situation as no one could work. All the problems given to Franklin Delano Roosevelt like “unemployment, bank problems, economy measures, and farm problems” (4) capture the terrible conditions these American citizens had to face during the Great Depression. Thus the unemployment created from the market crash resulted in terrible living conditions and hunger among American citizens. The stock market crash also caused many businesses to close down because …show more content…
“We need enthusiasm, imagination and the ability to face the facts” (2) this source discusses what Franklin D. Roosevelt was asking for when he introduced his Alphabet Agencies and his systemic reforms. America had lost these vital aspects because of the Wall Street Crash. Americans were becoming depressed and were losing the impetus they needed in order to restore their hope to better their lives. The Crash started having terrible mental affects on American citizens and forced many into psychological depressive states and even pushed hundreds of Americans to commit suicide to ease the burden of their losses. “The country demands bold, persistent experimentation” (2) this shows the appalling state America was in and that they were in great need of change in order to fix the devastating affects of the crash. “Bank problems, war debts, budgets, economic measures, bank problems, unemployment” (4) from source 4, shows the enormous burden that Franklin D. Roosevelt was saddled with by President Hoover. It also reinforces the destructive effects of the crash and the level of effort Roosevelt would have had to exert in order to get America to be prosperous again. President Hoover transferred ownership of this enormous burden to Roosevelt showing that he could not handle the effects of the crash and the inefficient service he provided
During the 1930’s the government camps were designed to house migrant workers put forth by the government in order to keep them under control. A Hooverville was similar to a government camp but it was not funded by the government, and almost represented/compared to a communism like society. 6. Chapter twenty three describes how the migrant workers felt remorse and sympathy for fighting with the Native Americans. Chapters 23-25 7.
Compare and contrast Hoover and Roosevelt’s actions in the aftermath of the Crash of 1929. How did both administrations attempt to deal with the economic stagnation, social hardship and psychological impact of the depression? What needed to be fixed and which approach proved more successful? In your essay you should address not only the underlying economic and social problems that both administrations had to deal with and the various corrective measures they adopted, but also the underlying philosophical approaches of Hoover and Roosevelt and their supporters.
Thesis: Hoovervilles were named after President Herbert Hoover because the American people felt he was responsible for the Great Depression, although the irresponsibility of brokers, bankers, and other people in power contributed greatly.
After the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Hoover administration, something had to be done regarding the relief and recovery of the Great Depression. This was one of the more important objectives of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first term as president. Although Herbert Hoover made somewhat of an attempt trying to reconcile the country, but he was unable to live up to his rhetoric, “prosperity is right around the corner.” Hoover failed to comprehend the extent of the damage of the stock market crash from a global perspective and simply did too much too fast. When Franklin Roosevelt came into presidency in 1933, he set out his first hundred-day plan. Within the first term, FDR created a series of relief and recovery acts to start the
After the Stock Market crashed in 1929, the American economy was at its lowest point. The consequences of this crash were that the birth rate decreased, over 70,000 businesses were forced to close, and jobs became so limited that white workers started taking the undesirable jobs previously held by the African Americans and Mexicans. President Hoover’s voluntary system of associationalism and limited government did not help with the economic recovery.
The stock market crash, called Black Tuesday. Unequal distribution of wealth was a key factor during the time period as well. The day know as “Black Tuesday” was the day the stock market crashed. This led to the fall of stock prices, in fear, people sold their stocks and gathered the money they could. The people who didn’t, lost all of their stocks. Those who bought them on credit, they were now in debt. Investors lost a collective amount equal to the amount spent in WWI, that’s billions of dollars gone, approximately thirty-two billion dollars (32,000,000,000). As bad as the crash was, unequal distribution of wealth did not help. The rich saw an income increase of 70%, and the poor saw an increase of 9%. More than 70% of families earned less than $2500/year. Many of these families couldn't afford household products, such as the flood of overproduced goods. Only one out of ten families owned an electric refrigerator. One thing many people overlook when on the subject of the Great Depression is the president's influence on the situation. The two presidents during this time were Herbet Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hoover was in office during the collapse of the economy, he didn’t believe in national relief, he believed in self-prevalence and self-help. His beliefs didn’t get the confidence of the people, in 1933, a fourth of working American’s were out of a job, that’s more than fifteen million people unemployed. Many people disliked Hoover, so when they needed to make a home out of paper, glass, tin, or whatever they could find, they named the towns constructed from these items “Hoovervilles”. They were found mostly on the outside of cities. Hoover's idea of self-reliance didn’t get him reelected, he lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Roosevelt brought forward a new strategy to take on the economic problems, it was called the New Deal. The New Deal was a series of actions him and his
In the year of 1929 the stock market crashed and hurt many of the people in America as it continued through the rest of the 1930s and into the early 1940s. This left America in a whirlpool of poverty and despair. When the stock market crashed it led to The Great Depression. It led to being where one out of every four workers became unemployed no matter if they were skilled or not. People became homeless and were struggling to survive. They had to make new homes out of cardboard or whatever they could find, these were called “hoovervilles.” Most people didn’t have enough money to buy food to feed themselves or even their families. President Herbert Hoover did not seem to be going out of his way to help the country in any way. He was against most forms of government relief and he believed that the depression would come to an end on its own. Americans were very tired and frustrated with Hoover’s ways and so they elected a new president. They elected Franklin D. Roosevelt who
The Great Depression was a severe economic panic that drastically impacted the quality of life in the 1930’s. The Depression left in its wake, widespread hunger, poverty and unemployment, as well as a worldwide economic crisis. President Hoover and Congress responded to the downturn with the ideas that individual initiative, voluntarism, and high tariffs, as well as adherence to the gold standard and smaller scale government programs would prove to be adequate in righting the economy. Hoover’s failure to abandon limited government out of fear that the American system would be disrupted (Document D) and his insensitivity to the depth of the crisis led to his increasing unpopularity as well as an increase in severity of the depression. Disheartened
Herbert Hoover was the president in office when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. He was blamed for the economic situation America was in, which then led to the creation of Hoovervilles and Shanty Towns. A Hooverville is defined as “a collection of huts and shacks, as at the edge of a city, housing the unemployed during the 1930’s.” Charles Michelson is credited with creating the term “Hooverville.” The Hooverville shanties were usually made of cardboard, tar, lumber, glass, paper, and anything else people could get their hands on. These collections of huts could be found all over the country. The people living in a shanty were unemployed and homeless. For the homeless it was either stay at a Hooverville or live on the streets.
Imagine living during the Great Depression, and the hardships of having to live there. Imagine the type of people who lived during the Depression and which ones were affected the most. Lastly, imagine how people reacted to this situation during the Depression. With this in mind, an large amount of people were evicted from their homes, and fired from jobs. There were many people affected by this and most of them had nowhere to go. In short, people who did not have anywhere to go decided that they would make their own shelters. This is where the creation of Hoovervilles came into place. This soon became a huge deal during the Depression and across America.
With the continually worsening conditions, and the stock market crash on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the United States was thrown into the biggest economical disaster of our history. Everyone, excluding the rich upper class, became poor and most unemployed. The majority of the American populace found themselves living in ‘shantytowns’ or ‘Hoovervilles’ as they later became to be known, which consisted of many cramped shacks constructed from whatever was available. This meant old burnt-out cars, cardboard boxes, random pieces of lumber, and anything else that people could find. Times truly were tough. It was a daily
During the Great Depression, a countless amount of people lost their homes and lived in what was called “Hoovervilles” – named after the man who was president at the start of the Great Depression, Herbert Hoover (Stephen Feinstein). Many
The 1920s seemed to promise a future of a new and wonderful way of life for America and its citizens . Modern science, evolving cultural norms, industrialization, and even jazz music heralded exciting opportunities and a future that only pointed up toward a better life. However, cracks in the facade started to show, and beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 the wealth of the country, and with it the hopes and expectations of its people, began to slip away. The Great Depression left a quarter of the population unemployed and much of the rest destitute and uncertain of what the future held. Wealth vanished, people took their money out of banks, and plans were put on hold. The most significant way in which the Great Depression affected Americans’ everyday lives was through poverty because it tore relationships apart and damaged the spirit of society while unexpectedly bringing families together in unity.
Imagine losing years of saved money, while being homeless and jobless. Americans went through these sufferings after the Stock Market crash. After the Stock Market crash of 1929, the United State’s economy crashed and worsen as more economical problems built up. During this time, the political, economic, and social organization were in a state of confusion and disruption. The government, various groups, and individuals sought ways to fix the problems of the Great Depression. Americans faced many problems during the Great Depression, he government, various groups, and individuals attempted to solve the problems brought about by the Great Depression.
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.