Abby Zolner
Mr. Plaviak
US History II
17 November 2015 Essay 1 The Great Depression occurred in the 1930s after the stock market crash in 1929. Unemployment skyrocketed from three million to 12.5 million in 1930. Families struggled tremendously. The economic collapse was horrifying. So many lost their source of income.
Out of all the economic downfalls faced by the world, this was the most long-lasting, widespread, and devastating.
Essay 2
The Great Depression had a strong physical and mental toll on so many families. Life was not like it was before the stock market crash and it is not like it is now. The parents of families lost their jobs so sometimes the kids would take it upon themselves to try to help their family. The Depression …show more content…
Some of the writers explained how they quit school and took on jobs to help support their families.”My sister and I gave our salary to our father in order to help him,” a thirteen-year-old explained in his letter. A nine year old girl said in her letter that she is always sorry because she is young and cannot help much. It is heartbreaking that a girl so young has to worry about such things. No child should grow up having to worry about if he/she is going to eat tomorrow,or how they can get a job to help support their family. A parent’s job is to support their child(ren), but because of the Depression, the lack of jobs, and a high unemployment rate, parents were not able to make enough money to pay for rent or even buy a sufficient amount of food. The letters did not directly say, but it is possible that this put pressure on the children to make money and assist in supporting the family. “My father is working and making a little money but we are hardly living. He has three children besides myself to support. I’ve looked for work every day,” a seventeen year old girl EXPLAINED. A seventeen year old boy said that he quit school two years ago in order to find a job and his little brothers are working as shoeshiners. The kids and teens were getting jobs very early on in life. The letters show that the teenager’s lives were significantly altered because of the Great
Mr. Plaviak
US History II
17 November 2015 Essay 1 The Great Depression occurred in the 1930s after the stock market crash in 1929. Unemployment skyrocketed from three million to 12.5 million in 1930. Families struggled tremendously. The economic collapse was horrifying. So many lost their source of income.
Out of all the economic downfalls faced by the world, this was the most long-lasting, widespread, and devastating.
Essay 2
The Great Depression had a strong physical and mental toll on so many families. Life was not like it was before the stock market crash and it is not like it is now. The parents of families lost their jobs so sometimes the kids would take it upon themselves to try to help their family. The Depression …show more content…
Some of the writers explained how they quit school and took on jobs to help support their families.”My sister and I gave our salary to our father in order to help him,” a thirteen-year-old explained in his letter. A nine year old girl said in her letter that she is always sorry because she is young and cannot help much. It is heartbreaking that a girl so young has to worry about such things. No child should grow up having to worry about if he/she is going to eat tomorrow,or how they can get a job to help support their family. A parent’s job is to support their child(ren), but because of the Depression, the lack of jobs, and a high unemployment rate, parents were not able to make enough money to pay for rent or even buy a sufficient amount of food. The letters did not directly say, but it is possible that this put pressure on the children to make money and assist in supporting the family. “My father is working and making a little money but we are hardly living. He has three children besides myself to support. I’ve looked for work every day,” a seventeen year old girl EXPLAINED. A seventeen year old boy said that he quit school two years ago in order to find a job and his little brothers are working as shoeshiners. The kids and teens were getting jobs very early on in life. The letters show that the teenager’s lives were significantly altered because of the Great