Annie Flower Block C U.S.

History 6/4/13

The Great Depressions Effects on the United States

There were a few things that went into causing the Great Depression. First, on October 29, 1939 the stock market crashed. Just two months after the original crash stockholders had lost more than 140 billion dollars. By the end of 1930 the United States officially entered the Depression. Throughout the 1930s over 9000 banks had failed. Bank deposits were uninsured and as the banks failed people lost their savings and didnt want to invest anymore of their money into the banks. People became worried with survival and providing for their families, so they stopped taking out loans. With the little money they earned, only necessities could be bought. Buying things for fun was no longer an option. This led the factories to start producing fewer products, therefore having to let go many of its workers who were no longer needed. The people who were let go from jobs, for instance the ones in the factories, were the ones living in financially unstable conditions. After the cuts were made, a whopping 25% of Americans were left unemployed. On top of all the financial and economic hardship a drought had struck the American people. This caused the farmers crops to fail, leaving them with no incoming profit. The stress on the people of the United States at this point was tremendous. In May of 1935, President Roosevelt issued an executive order establishing the Works Progress Administration, or WPA. It was a way to provide public assistance to help revive a lagging economy. During the WPAs eight years of existence, over 8.5 million people were employed in 3,000 counties nationwide. The most common jobs offered were under the fields of construction and deforestation. Public roads were built for easier access all around, forests were cleared to make space for crops, and food, clothing, and housing was provided for those in need by the WPA. The American people would have been quite lost without the support of the WPA helping them get back on their feet.

The Great Depression had a big impact on families. Many couples delayed marriage and the divorce rate dropped significantly. The reason was because hiring a lawyer and getting involved with legal matters was far too expensive, and so was now having two separate households. Birth rates also dropped below replacement level for the first time in American history. Some families took this tough time as a reason become even closer knit, and work together to prevail through the hardships being thrown their way. Unfortunately some families werent strong enough to stick together. A 1940 survey reveals that through the years of the Depression, 1.5 million married women were abandoned by their husbands. This left an unexplainable amount of pressure of the wives. They were left to fend for themselves and their children. It was definitely a very trying time for families all over the United States, and strength and support was needed to make it through.