The Great Depression: A Huge Economic Loss In American History

In American History, a huge economic downfall was caused by a horrific event known as the Great Depression which occurred from 1929-1941. It was a very dark time period from start to end. The Great Depression was the most long-lasting and brutal economic loss in history. During the Great Depression families were forced from their homes, unemployment rose, and the South faced a catastrophic drought. In October of 1929, the Wall Street Stock Market Crash initiated the start of the Great Depression. The day that the market crashed is called Black Tuesday. Thousands of investors were wiped out from losing billions of dollars. No one realized the effect that the stock market crash had. A record was broken by having Americans in a panic, 12,894,650

For some of the people who lived during the Great Depression they lost their homes and were forced to live in Hooverville’s. Hooverville’s were homeless shelters that people lived in when they had nowhere else to go, they looked like shacks and tents in vacant lots. They were mad of cardboard and anything people could find to build them. The make shift homes did not last long with the exception of the largest and the one that lasted the longest which was located in St. Louis, Missouri. Life in a Hooverville was awful, many health risks arose if you lived in one. People were uncomfortable and cramped together. They were built near rivers so that it was an easy water source. The unemployment rate of Americans ranged from thirteen to fifteen million people. (History.com Staff Page 1) Americans were fatigued from the horrible living conditions. People lost their jobs, and soon after they lost their homes. Many Americans had low income if any. Throughout the Great Depression, many Americans faced difficulty trying to get through the catastrophe of what was

The prices of crops began to decrease and many farms were foreclosed. This was because there was the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a period of drought, summer heat, and the frigid cold weather which ruined any chances to grow crops. Farmers were then left with little or no money at all, they lost all ambition to keep trying. Many famers, nicknamed Okie’s left the Great Plains. The rain finally started to fall by 1940 and helped improve the soil. Illnesses during the Great Depression ended many lives of the Americans. Farmers were a threat to sickness because they worked with sharp blades that could cut through the skin and get infected, open belts, and animals that had diseases (Hanes Page 2). Sickness was also caused by the weather due to “dust pneumonia”. The drought in the south lead to horrific dust storms that wiped away crops completely. When World War II happened in 1941, the depression finally ended and the United States enters war. During the War, twelve million Americans were sent to the military and many other jobs helped Americans become