When the stock market crashed in 1929, all people were affected. People who had invested their life savings in the stock market were crippled. Even those who did not invest money in the stock market were hurt because all the money they put into the bank was lost. Farmers were also hurt badly because the value of their crops decreased. Many fathers were ashamed that they could not support their families and ran away during the Great Depression.
In this picture, there are two women with three small children. The father is not in sight. They were probably a farming family that lived in the mid-west ruined by the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. They are very dirty and ragged. It doesn’t look like they have bathed in a while. They seem to be on the move, probably going to California to find jobs. Their life before was probably pretty good. They lived off their land and probably had decent lives. The Depression made the price of their crops go down because they had produced too many from before with all the new technology. The overproduction led to inflation, which led to the prices dropping drastically during the Depression. Once the Dust Bowl hit, they could not grow many crops. The father of the family probably ran away ashamed he could not provide for his family. These Okies are currently on the move with everything they have to find work in California. Even if they make it there, jobs will be hard to come by, especially because they are women. Their crudely constructed housing is shabby and looks uncomfortable. Life is even more difficult for them without a husband to help.
The Great Depression occurred in 1929. It was when the stock market crashed. The economy totally plummeted. Investors lost millions of dollars. The poor people became even poorer. People who had money in banks lost their money, too. All the banks became dry. Another part of the Depression was overproduction. For example, farmers grew too many crops and not enough people bought them, so the prices of the crops went down and farmers lost money. The Dust Bowl was another cause of the Great Depression because it also hurt farmers. These people in the photo were affected because they were farmers. They are in search of jobs to make money, and that’s how they ended up the way they look in the photo.
The New Deal was started by new president Franklin Delano Roosevelt to help the country get out of the economic depression. The New Deal really helped the farmers. The AAA (Agriculture Adjustment Administration) helped by paying farmers not to grow crops. This led to an increase in the price of crops. The TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) also helped farmers. They helped to control floods that were the result of the Dust Bowl. They also provided farmers with cheap hydroelectric power. These two programs saved farmers during the depression.
The Great Depression was a very tough time in America. Many people could not bear their troubles and ran away from their families. People had a very hard time surviving, finding food and shelter. The New Deal saved America. The government programs provided opportunities for people to get back on track, and the people took advantage. Without the New Deal, life may have never returned to normal.
