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Homelessness: The Great Depression And The 2008 Recession

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Homeless has been around for a long time. Three different points in history I will discuss are, Pre-Great Depression, The Great Depression, and The 2008 Recession. Homeless has always been apart of America’s History. It has dated back centuries ago. It has also affected much of today’s society. Homeless has been documented since 1640 in America. Today, it is a social issue with many variables. Homelessness was a moral deficiency. Those who were homeless were said to have a character flaw. God should have gave them what they needed. Homeless people would go from town to town and try and prove their worth. The fathers of the town would decide and if they were not worthy, the people would have to leave. Many variables caused people to be homeless during the time. Native Americans also had a homeless problem. Wars between Natives and Settlers was a huge cause of homelessness. Settlers stole most of the Native’s land. Some European settlers had a harder time and were often homeless in the larger cities such as Boston or New York. As the world changed, more and more found themselves homeless. …show more content…

Jobs were lost and hard to come by. Many families were forced to live in what is called a Hooverville or a Shantytown. These were shack towns that were built from whatever resources which were available. Hoovervilles got their name from president Herbert Hoover who was blamed for the miserable economy. Homeless had a much harder time surviving. Food was scarce and people ate anything they could. Helping the homeless was not an easy task. Soup kitchens opened because you should make more soup by just adding water. The Great Depression was a terrible time for homeless in

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