“If I leave my mother, it will one less mouth to feed”. This is what Eugene Williams said at age 13 while suffering during the Great Depression. The stock market crash played a major part in triggering the Great Depression. It was one of the worst depressions the U.S had ever seen, which is why it had such a lasting effect on people both rich and poor. The Dust Bowl was also one of the tragedies in the 1930’s. However, the Hoover Dam was one way Herbert Hoover tried to get the U.S. out of the Great Depression. Yet it wasn’t enough, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the president that helped the U.S. out of the Great Depression, with a little help from WWII and a certain German dictator.

The stock market crash was the spark that started the Great Depression. The stock market crash took place on October, 29, 1929. A stock market is a way to buy a share of a company. 16.4 million shares were dropped that day. When stocks were in high demand it was called a ‘Bull Market’. When they were in a financial crisis it was called a ‘Bear Market’. The stocker brokers used the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The DJIA is a measure based on the stock prices of 30 major industrial companies. Stock Brokers were people who bought stocks for you. When you bought a stock on credit it was called margin. The stock market crashed because so many people were buying on margin. Buying on margin is bad because when people bought stocks on margin they usually couldn’t pay it back and banks went bankrupt.

One of the many effects of the Great Depression were “Hoovervilles”. “Hoovervilles” were little towns consisting of shacks. “Hoovervilles” were popping up all over the nation during the Great Depression. About 12 million unemployed civilians were living in “Hoovervilles” at the time. The shantytowns were called “Hoovervilles” because Herbert Hoover refused to give out federal funds to the people. He thought giving money out hurt ones pride and if the government gave out people won’t work to support themselves. They believed he wasn’t helping the economical crisis. Many people were also very racist towards Latinos and African Americans at the time. Many Americans wanted Latinos, mainly Mexicans deported because the latinos would work longer hours and for less wages so they thought they were taking there jobs. Hundreds of thousands were deported in the late 1930s, even some that were American citizens. Some voluntarily moved but others were moved by the federal government.

The Dust Bowl was also a cause of the Great Depression. The Dust Bowl mostly affected Kanas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. Many migrated heading to California were called Okies. A dust storm is when wind picks up dirt and dust and makes clouds of debris. The dust storms happened because the farmers were plowing all of the topsoil off. It took 1,000 years to grow one inch of topsoil. The government gave out health checks, food, and checks to the victims. The victims were ashamed of taking government money but, did it anyways to survive. Men had difficulty coping with the G.D because they were accustom to supporting and providing for their families. Many people were enticed to the Northern Plains because of propaganda before the dust storms. 

The Hoover Dam was a way Hebert Hoover tried to get money to the people. A dan is meant to make a water reserve. The Hoover dam is located on the Colorado River in Nevada. Hoover was planning to pay for the dam using the profit that came from energy of the dam. It was part of a $700 million public works program. In the fall of 1929, Hoover got the construction of the Hoover Dam to be approved. The dam was originally called Boulder Dam but was later called Hoover Dam. The dam is 726 feet high and 1,244 feet long. It was then the world’s tallest dam and second largest. The dam now provides water for large such as Los Angles and Las Vegas.

“The only thing to fear is fear itself”-Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the president that began to boost economics during the  Great Depression. FDR was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt (also his cousin). FDR and Teddy believed in helping people who were less fortunate. FDR started the New Deal to help America during the Great Depression. The New Deal were polices to help improve domestic affairs, which included financial reform, relief to the needy, and economic recovery. FDR was the first president to do fireside chats. Fireside chats are when FDR talked on the radio about The New Deal and other public issues. The was a good thing because the public knew what was going in the White House.

The Stock Market Crash, the lasting effect of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the Hoover Dam, and FDR all played major parts in the Great Depression. If the stock market would have not crashed that day it would have been even worse. In the end the Great Depression left us with new laws for banks and the stock market, so maybe the Great Depression was a good thing.