Great Depression Effects On America

The Great Depression was the longest and most intense economic impact on the Western United States. It lasted from 1929 to 1939, and left over 13 million Americans unemployed. Almost half of the banks in the United States had failed. It caused the Dust Bowl, which killed about 7,000 people, according to Denverpost.com. Although the Great Depression was a major setback, the United States strived through the tough times. By working together and keeping hope, American citizens came out of the Great Depression. The Great Depression all began with the stock market crashing on October 24,1929. Millions of shares were unprofitable. Businesses began to slow down, and the workers were fired. The wages of those still working declined. Over the next three years, the situation only got worse. In 1930, three million people were looking for jobs, with no avail. According to History.com, by 1931 the number had risen to six million. Much of the population of America was homeless; many people had to resort to eating their meals at breadlines and soup kitchens. Farmers were unable to harvest their crops, and left them in the fields. During the Great Depression, farmers over cultivated their farms. This made the soil loose, because there was no vegetation to hold it down, and there was little rain. When the high winds came, the soil, now dust, was taken …show more content…
By 1933, thousands of banks were out of commission. On March 4, 1933, every state had demanded closing all of the remaining banks. Even the U.S. Treasury didn’t have enough money to pay all government workers. Newly elected President Franklin Roosevelt took many actions to help the country. He began talking to the public, he passed legislation that helped industrial and agriculture problems, and created jobs. Roosevelt tried to rebuild the stock market, and made sure that the market would not crash