How Old Was The American Economy In The 1920's

In 1918, after 4 long years of brutality and conflicting disputes between nations, World War I had officially ended. Only two years later would the U.S enter the era of the 1920’s also known as the “Roaring Twenties”. During this time America would experience an economic growth and normal old fashion ways of life would dissipate and change. The American economy and people were thriving, achieving greatness, and reaching new heights. One aspect of the American economy that was boosted was the stock market, as this was a period of rising stock prices, also known as a bull market. This made millions of American people and businesses buy stocks, in order to try and get wealthy. Little did Americans know, that in a matter of only 9 years, everything

In 1910 the population of the U.S was 92,228,496 and by 1930 the population increased to 123,202,624, a 33.58% increase from 1910. Since the population of the U.S increased, so did the population of many major U.S cities. Immigrants from Europe and many other nations, traveled to America in search of wealth. These people specifically settled in Urban areas to work in factories. Many African-Americans also migrated to Northern cities during the Great Migration, to also find work in factories, with about 1.5 million African-Americans making the migration to the north between 1915 and 1930. With the increasing population in cities, it created competition for jobs. People now had to compete with one another, as there were more people than there were

More than 16 million shares of stocks were traded and $74 billion dollars were lost. This caused 28,000 businesses to close down as they could no longer afford to run. By 1931 about 16 percent of the American work force or 8 million people had lost their jobs, contributing to the 14 million people who were unemployed. With over populated cities and no businesses hiring, the unemployment rate skyrocketed. Unemployment was the main component of the great depression, which lead to the misery and despair that gripped American cities. With more and more people becoming unemployed, people could no longer afford to care for their families. The cost for food raised, people couldn’t afford food, so little food was put on the table at home. Families now starved, and one in five children lacked adequate nutrition and were hungry. The only hope to eat for Families, was to wait on bread lines. These were lines of people waiting for food handouts from public agencies or charities. Families would also go to local soup kitchens to receive a free meal. Starvation contributed to the despair and misery felt in American