The Great Depression

The Great Depression was a a very large surprise to many Americans. America was at an all time high, financially and there was “a chicken in every pot”.  Then, it plummeted completely and hit rock bottom. There were many people involved in the stock market. Everyone saw it as an easy way to get rich. Almost every American had stocks and everyone had money. Americans believed their lives would always be that wonderful and that it would be blue skies forever. Then there was a dip in the stock market and everyone tried selling their stocks all at once. People lost their whole life savings in just a few hours. Lives were changed forever and America wasn’t the same again. It only got worse from there and America was at rock bottom. People were broke, hungry, and without a place to sleep. They slept in streets, boxes, and Hoovervilles and begged for food. There were some soup kitchens and bread lines but many people dug through the trash. People were dying and suffering throughout America and diseases sprouted up everywhere. It was a very unfortunate time for millions of Americans.

I cant believe it happened. I lost all my money in the stock market. There was a huge dip in the stocks and everyone panicked, myself included. I went to sell my stocks just like everyone else did. There was pure chaos and everyone was yelling and screaming. People were running around like chickens with their heads cut off! Just that morning, everything was perfect and happy, “the American Way”, and then all hell cut loose. It dipped down and everyone got upset. It was pure chaos! There were over 16 million shares lost and $30 billion were lost. After it crashed, everyone started pulling their money out of the banks. This caused even more problems! Everyone tried to take their money out of their banks and then the banks had a huge problem. The banks had run out of money. They lent out loans to people to help with the stock market crash and now the banks were completely out of money. People who did get their money out of the banks, put their cash under their mattresses or buried them in mason jars to keep their money safe. The stock market crash kicked off the horrible Great Depression and it’s an even I will remember for the rest of my life.

My life has never been the same since the Black Blizzards that killed my smallest child. The dust took over my whole life. I had to clean the entire house every single day. It was in our food, it was in our beds, it was in every crack and crevice in my house. It was a regular occurrence for every one who lives in the Dust Bowl. My children have had a rough childhood but we have stuck together through it all. My youngest child, Rebecca, passed away because of Dust Pneumonia. The dust over took her little lungs and she couldn’t handle it anymore. We were all very broken up about it and we still are. Her siblings took care of her as best as they could and we tried our hardest to keep the dust out of her lungs.  There were days when the clouds were thicker and darker and there were days when they were thinner and lighter. We had to dump the dust out of our plates and bowls every day and we had to brush it off our blankets and pillows every morning. I spent my days cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, every day, all day. It wore me down a lot. The only thing that kept me going were my other two children and my husband. I can still taste the dust and grit in my mouth to this day.

My family and I are moving to our closest Hooverville today. It will be my husband and I and my two children. We are at rock bottom and we don’t know what else to do. We are trying our hardest but we have officially lost everything. We are grateful that these Hoovervilles exist so we have somewhere to go.My husband will be working at a factory right next to our Hooverville. There is a lot of competition between all the hardworking men, looking for jobs. Everyone is broke, and everyone wants to have hours at the factory. My husband has been very upset because he cannot provide for his family. There are plenty of men who would abandon their families out of shame and discontent but my husband is not a coward. He will provide for his family any way he can. Even if my husband had nothing, he would still provide anything he could for us. We are very grateful for my husband and all that he does for us in such a time of need. We are scared and broke but we have each other and I will forever be grateful for my family.

I finally have a sense of hope. Franklin Roosevelt has restored a light inside my family and I. He broadcasts across the radio all the time and assures us that everything will be okay. He talks to the American people in these “Fireside Chats” and reassures everyone that the Depression will soon be over. He told us that he has a plan to end the Depression. With our cooperation, he said, the Depression can be reversed and will be over soon. For the job problem, he came up with the Civilian Conservation Corps which created three million jobs for the young men ages 18-25. For the Agriculture problem he eliminated crop surpluses by paying farmers to plant fewer crops. He Created the National Industrial Recovery Act which stabilized the prices of the industrial goods and set a minimum wage. He created many more acts and plans and called them The New Deal. These might not seem like much but to us, it was a ray of sunshine on our gray, sad, lives. We looked forward to hearing all of Roosevelt’s wise, reassuring words. They really encouraged us and helped us back on our feet. These Fireside Chats really pacified us in our time of need.