The 1920s in America seemed like an age of endless prosperity and joyful glee. Construction boomed, business flourished, and the stock market soared. It was as though nothing could go wrong. Then on October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed. The crash sent shockwaves throughout the economy. Banks failed. Businesses closed. Millions found themselves out of work. The Great Depression, which would last through the 1930s, had begun. So what did all this mean?
When the Great Depression began, about 18 million elderly, disabled, and single mothers with children already lived at a bare subsistence level in the United States. State and local governments together with private charities helped these people. By 1933, another 13 million Americans had been thrown out of work. Suddenly, state and local governments and charities could no longer provide even minimum assistance for all those in need. Food riots broke out. Desertions by husbands and fathers increased. Homeless families in cities......
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Approximate Word Count: 2276
Approximate Pages: 9 (260 words per double-spaced page) |