great deprssion
Maggie Nowakowski
Mr. Grantz
Advanced Academic English I
11 November 2014
The Great Depression What caused the Great Depression, which was considered the worst economic depression in US history? It wasn’t just one cause, but instead a combination of worldwide crashes. The Great Depression was the most severe economic collapse in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. There were many factors that play a role in the Great Depression. One cause was the stock market crash that happened on Black Tuesday, October 29th, 1929. The people weren’t buying stock, or paying their debts back. The banks were forced to close because many banks had also invested large portions of their clients’ savings in the stock market. Another cause was the Midwest got hit hard with a drought and horrible dust storms known as the Dust Bowl. This drought caused the grass to die which made the winds pick up the loose dry soil and destroy everything in its path. The Great Depression caused much unemployment in the 1930s. Over 9,000 banks failed throughout the 1930s. Businesses had to cut wages and hours. They also had to lay off workers, as industries went out of business. Farmers were in debt and couldn’t pay it off. Small farmers were hit the hardest. They would borrow money for buying needed supplies, and they couldn’t pay back the debt. Banks would foreclose and the farmers would be homeless and unemployed. Some people that were unemployed started to travel to find work. People used cars or trains, others hitchhiked. The Great Depression was a very severe crash, but it did have an end to it. President Roosevelt was a hero. People believed that he cared deeply about everyone and he was doing his best to end the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs helped the depression very much. They helped the hardships of the depression, but the U.S. economy was still extremely bad by the end of the
Mr. Grantz
Advanced Academic English I
11 November 2014
The Great Depression What caused the Great Depression, which was considered the worst economic depression in US history? It wasn’t just one cause, but instead a combination of worldwide crashes. The Great Depression was the most severe economic collapse in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. There were many factors that play a role in the Great Depression. One cause was the stock market crash that happened on Black Tuesday, October 29th, 1929. The people weren’t buying stock, or paying their debts back. The banks were forced to close because many banks had also invested large portions of their clients’ savings in the stock market. Another cause was the Midwest got hit hard with a drought and horrible dust storms known as the Dust Bowl. This drought caused the grass to die which made the winds pick up the loose dry soil and destroy everything in its path. The Great Depression caused much unemployment in the 1930s. Over 9,000 banks failed throughout the 1930s. Businesses had to cut wages and hours. They also had to lay off workers, as industries went out of business. Farmers were in debt and couldn’t pay it off. Small farmers were hit the hardest. They would borrow money for buying needed supplies, and they couldn’t pay back the debt. Banks would foreclose and the farmers would be homeless and unemployed. Some people that were unemployed started to travel to find work. People used cars or trains, others hitchhiked. The Great Depression was a very severe crash, but it did have an end to it. President Roosevelt was a hero. People believed that he cared deeply about everyone and he was doing his best to end the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs helped the depression very much. They helped the hardships of the depression, but the U.S. economy was still extremely bad by the end of the
Cited: “The Great Depression.” History.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. “The Great Depression.” Pbs.org. WBGH, 1996-2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. Rosenberg, Jennifer. “The Great Depression.” About.com. About, 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. “The Great Depression.” Thegreatdepressioncauses.com. Croft Communications, Inc, 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. Scaliger, Charles. “The Great Depression.” The New American (23 June 2008): 34-8. EBSCOHost. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.