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The Great Depression was very harsh period of time here in the United States. There probably wasn’t even one person living in the U.S. that wasn’t affected by the Depression. It was definitely one of America’s biggest crises it’s ever had. Were about to tell you all of the information we found on the Great Depression. The Great Depression occurred from the late 1929’s to the 1940’s. It started on October 29, on Black Tuesday.

Now you’re probably wondering what caused the Great Depression. It all started when the stock market crashed causing people to go bankrupt. Greed was also another key to the Great Depression occurring. Many of the values of the stock market were too high for people to afford. The stock market didn’t only affect the United States; it also affected the entire world that’s why it was called the "Great" Depression. Many of the European countries relied on United States for money because they were still at war with Germany. The U.S. had no money to give away either because we were bankrupt. They also needed loans but we had none to give. That shows that it wasn’t only the U.S. that was affected. (www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/overview.htm)

One enormous and terrifying event that occurred was a drought affecting almost all of the U.S. The farm production was already a problem before the drought occurred and once the drought did occur many more farmers lost their land. The government wanted the farmers to work on a smaller amount of farmland. Right after they said that a severe drought powered over the Great Plains area throughout the 1930’s. This even became known as the "Dust Bowl." This reduced farm work significantly. During this drought harsh winds would tend to occur along with many dust storms. Many people, animals, cars, machinery, and farms were either hurt or destroyed. The government then decided to try and help. They helped plant many trees to try and block the windstorms that occurred. Government also paid for most of the lost land. They then helped stabilize the farmers. (www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/overview.htm)

There were many ways that the men, women, and children were all affected in different ways. Many men and women lost their jobs. To try and support their family the men and women joined relief projects helping them with compensation. The women worked harder at home supporting mainly the kids. The men worked harder on farms to produce goods. Most families didn’t have any money to pay for medicine if their children or their selves got hurt or sick. The men and women weren’t the only people being affected. The children were too. Many of the children’s schools grades had dropped basically from the lack of nutrition in the body. Due to this, many school throughout the United States set up stands for free food such as soup or drinks for the children. It was also the government responsibility to protect the citizens of their state and keeping the children away from poverty, but they hardly did any thing to help. (www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ihy981212 .html)

Now you’re probably wondering what the government did to help throughout this period of time. The government didn’t make very many attempts to help. No programs were created by the government to help and save peoples lives. No welfare, no insurance systems, and no emergency release methods of helping were provided. Some governments, but not many provided money or food for the poor or sick. Government didn’t have very man funds or supplies for the people either. So there wasn’t too much the government did or tried to do to help people suffering the Great Depression. (www.smccd.net/accounts/hudsont/protected/ushist/depress.html)

The Great Depression affected almost everybody in the United States, but some places were affected more than others. Due to the drought that occurred throughout the 1930’s, farmers who lived in the Southern to Midwest portion of the United States were mostly affected. Many farmers in that area lost their farmland due to the drought and lack of money. Many cities that had big business companies were affected too because they didn’t have enough money to stay in business. (www.rra.dst.tx.us/c_t/History/Great/Depression)

All the events that occurred took a while to overcome, but it eventually did. The Great Depression started to slow down once the president made a public speaking and told people to work harder and they’ll get more done. From this motivational speech by the President, people started to work harder and more people were employed which got more done for the economy and they got more money. More jobs opened for people to work too. It was the strength of this country that got us out of the Great Depression.

The Great Depression was a horrific time for most people that occurred from 1929 to 1940. Millions of people were affected in the United States as well as worldwide. Many people lost their jobs and farmland was destroyed. Eventually the survivors some how got out of the Depression and started to work again. This was one of America’s most devastating times we’ve ever had. Hopefully America will never see the Great Depression again.