Life During The Great Depression

For most people, it is difficult to imagine what life during the Great Depression was like, however, due to many resources, both primary and secondary, we can get a glimpse into what living during this time period consisted of. First, the stock market crash caused chaos among the government, bank owners, and the common citizen. Also, the unemployment rate reached the highest it has ever been in the history of the United States and millions of people were left with no source of income. Lastly, many families were torn apart because parents could not afford to pay for the expenses of their children. Overall, the Great Depression was a very difficult time to live through because of the high unemployment rate, lack of money, and because it caused families to split apart.

As shown in the movie, Cinderella Man, the main character James Braddock lost all of his money as a result of the stock market crash. Since he was the primary source of income for his family, they quickly fell into poverty and he struggled to find work. This shows the story of not just one person’s life during the depression, but the story of the millions of people who were also affected. Furthermore, following the stock market crash in September/October of 1929, the majority of the American banking system began failing. As people worried about losing their money, they began withdrawing it from the bank which ultimately caused the falling out of the United States’ economy. As stated in the Prentice Hall United States History textbook, by 1932 many Americans thought that no banks would be left standing (Prentice Hall, 2008). In summary, the spark that caused the downfall of the American economy was the stock market crash and the failure of the banks in the