Great Depression Research Papers

Research Paper I wrote about a long lost cousin of mine, Jimmy, and his mother, Willy. I went to my grandma Bonnies house to talk to her about this family story. Willy was born into a massive family. She had eight siblings, but only two are talked about; Maylene and Gladys. This story takes place after the Great Depression. Willy was hospitalized due to a nervous breakdown. Her husband signed their kids to the State of Michigan, because he couldn’t take care of them. When Willy was released she found out her children were in foster care and her husband died. She found her children and would visit them frequently. All of a sudden she stopped visiting her children and no one knew where she went. She disappeared. Her family searched for her everywhere. They even hired a private detective to search for …show more content…
"Riding the Rails." American Experience. WGBH Educational Foundation, 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2016. I wanted to know if it was common to leave your family and get away after the Great Depression. “Some Americans left their homes to escape poverty or troubled families.” Many people would leave their families and hop on trains to get away, but it was very dangerous and illegal to do so. The people running away wanted a better life and thought they would get one. Most Americans and teens became hobos, because they had nowhere to go and no money.

Tapia Granados, José A., and Ana V. Diez Roux. “Life and Death during the Great Depression.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106.41 (2009): 17290–17295. PMC. Web. 4 Nov. 2016. I also thought suicide was a big part during this time period. I thought Willy could have killed herself to get away from everything. Suicide only increased by two percent. Suicides were more common than people dying by diseases and sicknesses. Car accidents were also less common than suicide deaths. There was also an increase in smoking and alcoholism, which can lead to