Americans Face Hard Times

How did the Great Depression Affect Cities? Even though many Americans did not fully grasp what caused the stock market crash and economic depression, they did understand the impact of it The threat of unemployment ravaged cities and town across the United States and many workers brought home paychecks up to 30% less than their pre-depression checks

Many families could not afford to keep bring food into their homes, pay rent  sold most of their possessions just to stay afloat Those who could not afford a meal ended up in bread lines where small distribution of food was provided by charities and public agencies Many Americans who lost their home ended up grouping together in Hoovervilles  makeshift shantytowns of tents and shacks built on public land or vacant lots

How Was Rural America Affected? Farmers had been suffering even before the Great Depression  prices of crops dropped and accumulation of debt Weather and farming methods created a drought in the American Midwest in the 1930’s  the Dust Bowl Okies were Dust Bowl refugees seeking jobs and fertile land to the east and west

John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath which depicted a family’s struggle out of the Dust Bowl to California Illustrated the general difficulties of life during the Great Depression especially those affected by the Dust Bowl

Some Facts and Figures of the Depression Between 1929 & 1932 Almost 6,000 banks failed Almost 110,000 businesses closed 1 out of every 4 Americans became unemployed Millions were underemployed Nearly 1 million farmers lost their farm Millions lost their life savings in the banking collapse