Personal Narrative: The Great Depression

The Great Depression affected millions of American financially. After the stock market crash in 1929 and particularly after the banking crisis of late 1930, many Americans lost their jobs and were living in poverty. Herbert Hoover was the president of the United States at the beginning of this Great Depression. During the beginning of Hoover’s presidency most Americans supported a laissez-faire system as did Hoover . In a laissez-faire system the market dictates the economic prosperity of the country.

In a New York Times article, “Too Poor to Make the News,” author Barbara Ehrenreich focuses on the impact the recession has caused to the lives of the working poor. She begins her article by describing how the newly group, known as Nouveau poor, have to give up valuables where as the working poor have to give up housing, food, and prescription medicines. Ehrenreich’s purpose is to inform her readers who are blessed enough not to suffer like the working poor. Barbara Ehrenreich’s article examines the impacts the recession has on the lives of the working poor, by demonstrating pathos, and makes readers aware of the sufferings the poor have to face. Barbara Ehrenreich examines the aspects that are impacting the working poor from the recession.

This tragic event sent Wall Street into a complete frenzy and took out millions of investors. Over the next few years, consumer investment and spending decreased. This caused sharp declines in manufacturing production and rising levels of unemployment. By 1933, 13 plus million Americans were unemployed and nearly half of the country’s banks failed (Coker, 2005). Thanks to the reform and relief measures placed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped diminish the most horrible effects of the Great Depression.

On October 24, 1929, also known as ‘Black Thursday’, one of the greatest economic and social crisis in the United States of America begun. On that day more than 12 and half million shares of stock were sold, which was triple the usual amount. Next, over the following 4 days, the stock market prices fell 23 percent. Afterwards, the Americans had to face suffering and obstacles for the next 10 years. In 1933, the unemployment had risen from 3 percent to 25 percent of nation’s workforce and those who were able to keep their jobs faced harsh reductions in wages.

While campaigning, he tried to calm the country down by using the word “depression” as opposed to the previously used words: “panic” or “crisis.” In addition to Hoover’s attempts at forming an optimistic campaign, he also tried to create positive conferences and lower taxes. Additionally, he tried to comfort the country by saying that it was just “a passing incident in our national lives.” However, people were losing their jobs, their clothing, and their banks and were not in a mood to be consoled by merely words and policies that had little effect. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who succeeded Hoover, took a much more active approach.

The Great Depression was an impactful tragedy in the United States of America that was responsible in taking millions of citizens from work, bankrupting small businesses to large corporations, and leading to decreased consumer spending and investments. It brought may citizens onto the street and singled out the very few of the rich. The Depression was a result of the stock market crash, billions of dollars in value were completely wiped out in less than one day, and investors lost the life time’s worth of money. In the very beginning of this period President Herbert Hoover and his administration attempted to lower the impact of the depression on the citizens of America, but they had failed to do so, and in fact made it even worse on the

On October 29, 1929 the Stock Market crashed in the United States. The years to follow were full of desperation and despair. Most Americans suffered greatly but two groups that were hit in similar and very different ways were African Americans and white people in America. Although the Great Depression may have brought some people together that was not the case for these two groups. African Americans and white people experienced the Great Depression in similar ways but also in different ways because of racial inequalities partly to do with everyone’s desperation to find work, this caused a divide in America.

The Great Depression did not affect people in the same way, for example the rich people did not feel the impact that the poor people did. The devoice rates dropped because it was too expensive for people, people even delayed their weddings. Birth rates dropped and death rates rose. The way some people survived was by fishing maybe even hunting. Relief, Recovery, and Reform was used to help the people during the 1929 - 1945 time period.

When I was a bit younger I used to envy guys that had awesome cars. From Mustangs and Beamers, to Range Rovers and Gelandewagens. In my extremely narrow frame of mind at the time, I felt that if I acquired an elite vehicle, then I would reach a state of fulfillment and happiness. At least this is what was pumped into my head through a constant deluge of television and magazine advertisements.

This depression was felt world-wide to nations such as Great Britain and Germany. In the United Sates, black Americans were the ones who suffered in preponderance since they were the first to be unemployed, they were racially

This market crash brought in a decade of rampant unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, falling incomes, and stagnated economic and personal advancement. Businesses

The wealth during the 1920s left Americans unprepared for the economic depression they would face in the 1930s. The Great Depression occurred because of overproduction by farmers and factories, consumption of goods decreased, uneven distribution of wealth, and overexpansion of credit. Hoover was president when the depression first began, and he maintained the government’s laissez-faire attitude in the economy. However, after the election of FDR in 1932, his many alphabet soup programs in his first one hundred days in office addressed the nation’s need for change.

I was tired of being the one people turned to; tired of being in the mix of alcohol and drugs, I was just tired of being in that lifestyle. When I finally left, I had a couple of hundred dollars and a cosmetologist

The Great Depression was a time when mostly everyone started to loss their their money,business, and homes. Many people lost their jobs and that made them go to their local banks and withdraw their money, but the banks did not have their money, all the people that wanted there money back lost it all because the bankes went broke. The people were now poor and the government didn't help them. Saving and investing was really important in that time.

The Great Depression was a time of little hope and small dreams. Much of what happened forced young children out of their world out of their world into the adult world. I’ve also had to step up into the vast realm of the adult world. During the Great Depression many kids had to step up and begin acting like adults.