The Great Depression was one of the biggest setbacks in American history lasting from 1929 to 1939. It started in October 1929 after the stock market crashed eliminating millions of investors. During the next couple years, spending and investments severely dropped causing companies to lay off workers. The Great Depression was at its all-time low in 1933 when more than 13 million Americans were unemployed, and the majority of the country’s banks had failed. Herbert Hoover wasn’t even eight months into his presidency when the stock market crashed on Thursday, October 24, 1929. Even though his predecessors’ policies contributed to this chaotic event, Hoover was the one to carry the blame according to the American people. As the depression got …show more content…
Roosevelt became president, he made major changes in the nation. Roosevelt did not have the same views as Hoover and by contrast, he did not trust Wall Street to fix itself. When he took office in 1933, Roosevelt acted to stabilize the economy immediately and provide jobs and relief to the suffering citizens. In his acceptance speech, Roosevelt addressed the problems of the depression by telling people, “First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” His speech gave many people hope and confidence that they had elected a president that was not afraid to take bold steps to solve the nation’s problems. During the First 100 Days, Roosevelt passed laws to relieve the depression. He helped America by starting the ‘New Deal’, also known as a set of programs and policies designed to promote economic recovery and social reforms. Roosevelt promised America that the New Deal would provide relief, recovery, and reform, also known as the ‘3 Rs.’ One of the reasons the government spend a great deal of their money on programs was to help recover all the lost jobs and to give businesses confidence to spend money as well. After money began to circulate, the economy slowly started to get back on its feet. Some of the many programs that the New Deal started were the FSA, SSA, PWA, NRA, CWA, and the