Life During The Great Depression Essay

476 Words2 Pages

Everyday life during the Great Depression was hard for most everyone. “The Great Depression transformed American social and political institutions and the ways individual people thought about themselves and their relationship to the country and the world.” Says my source. Though no two people had the same understanding of the Depression, everyone felt challenged and changed by the experience. This was an important time in history, that caused tragedy and growth.

Due to the New Deal, people’s lives were changing. The New Deal meant that the government now interfered more in peoples lives, employing them and giving them aid, and providing new forms of social insurance. A wave of labor strikes and unionization allowed for a new way of thinking about the power of ordinary people and racial and gender divisions.

Here I live in Washington, during the Great Depression. Work is hard to find, and it’s harder for anyone that has a job. ¼ of people here have jobs. Of that amount, half work part-time. Things aren’t so great. Money is scarce, and we often skip meals, to ensure we won’t run out of food. It wasn’t uncommon to hear about murders, suicides, or any type of crime. The streets are ridden with crime. People do it to cope in these hard times. By 1932, three years after the …show more content…

Nearly two weeks of state-wide then national bank closures in 1933 meant that cooperative systems of checks and bartering had to replace cash. Sports took on new meanings for community involvement and pride, while female students at the University of Washington redefined what "women's education" and women's roles might be. The repeal of prohibition changed how leisure was understood, while at the most intimate level, family relationships adapted to the new conditions of work and unemployment that the Depression brought.” Says the