Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

As you read about how people coped with hard times, use the headings below to summarize the Great Depression’s effects on various aspects of American life.

Employment
Most men were unemployed and constantly wandered the streets looking for any work to support their family. It was even harder for minorities to find jobs, and when they did they were paid less. Women sometimes found work outside the home, but many people believed they shouldn’t be allowed to work when there were still men who didn’t have jobs.

Housing
Many people lost their homes and began living in whatever they could throw together. There were whole families living in garbage near cities. Hoboes wandered America looking for a way to get by, and they were completely homeless. Many children who were out of school began living on the road, exploring America.

Farming
Thousands of farms were foreclosed upon during the depression. Although farmers had the advantage of being able to grow food for their family, it became more difficult when they had no land to grow on. Often sons of poor farmers became the “wild boys” mentioned previously, traveling across America any way they could.

Race relations
Latinos and African-Americans who were looking for jobs were met with much resentment from white men looking for the same jobs. The white men believed that they deserved the job more than the minorities. This resentment resulted in a lot of racial violence, including several lynchings.

Family life
Men in families often had no way of making money, so it was difficult to support families. Women worked hard to save as much money as possible and even began working themselves in some cases. Children suffered through malnutrition and school closings.

Physical health
With so many people poor and looking for work, there was hardly any food available to them. Many children died of malnutrition, and many hoboes suffered terrible conditions while traveling. Thousands of trespassers on railroads were killed by murderers or adverse conditions. Those who were in the dust bowl often died of malnutrition or some illness from dust ingestion if they did not move west out to California. Rickets became common in children as well. At this point people didn’t have enough money to go to the doctor or dentist, which left people in poor health.

Emotional health
Many Americans at this time were so saddened by the hardships they and their family were facing that they lost the will to live. Many many more people committed suicide during the depression than in normal times in America. Many more people were also institutionalized for mental problems.

Explain or define each of the following:

 Dust bowl

The area in the south west including parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas that was hardest hit by the drought and dust storms of the 1930s.

Shantytown
Little towns made of small makeshift shacks.

Direct Relief

Cash payments to the poor directly from the government for food and other supplies.

Causes of the Great Depression

1. What industrial weakness signaled a declining economy in the 1920s?   
Many industries that had been booming throughout the twenties were now beginning to diminish, such as steel, oil, cars, consumer goods, lumber, and mining. The lower rate of new houses being built was an indicator of other industries related to it being about to be hit hard.

2. What did the experience of farmers and consumers at this time suggest about the health of the economy?   
Farmers at this time had built up tons of debt from large loans on equipment and land taken out during WWI, so they had no money to spend on goods. Other consumers at this time had built up debt from “buy now, pay later” plans, in which companies created an installment plan with interest. People got many items but were not able to pay for them. As a result, everybody was in debt except the business owners offering the credit, heavily weakening the economy as nobody was able to buy anything anymore.

3. How did speculation and margin buying cause stock prices to rise?   
Speculation, buying stocks looking for a quick profit, and margin buying, buying a little bit of stock and borrowing for the rest, made stock easily available to everyday people. This led more people to buy stock which in turn led to a huge upward spiral in the stock market.

4. What happened to ordinary workers during the Great Depression?   
Many ordinary workers were fired during the Great Depression. By 1933, the unemployment rate was 25%. The 3 out of 4 workers who did keep their jobs faced worse conditions for less money and less benefits. Basically, ordinary workers either lost their jobs or lost wages, either way they didn’t have enough money.

5. How did the Great Depression affect the world economy?   
During the Great Depression many European were recovering from damages during World War I, and the economic downturn in America did not help. America was no longer able to import European goods, in part because of the lack of money, and in part because of the huge tariffs. However, now no countries had any American dollars so America was not able to export anything. World trade was hurt heavily by these tariffs.

Define:

a. Price-Supports:   The government would buy food from farmers at a guaranteed price and sell them on the world market.


b. Credit:   Consumers could buy now and pay later for products.


c. Dow Jones Industrial Average:    A barometer for the health of the stock market based on the stock prices of 30 major companies.


d. Speculation:   Buying stocks to make a quick profit with no regards for the risk.


e. Buying on Margin:    Paying a small price for stocks and borrowing the rest of the necessary money.


f. Black Tuesday:    October 29, people tried to sell as many stocks as possible before the prices of stocks dropped even more.


g. Hawley-Smoot Tariff:    An extremely high protective tariff intended to protect American companies but ended up hurting them.

Schenck v US (Free Speech)

1. What was Justice Holmes’ main argument in the Court’s opinion in Schenck? Do you agree with the Court’s opinion?   
Holmes’ main argument was that free speech does not protect things that endanger America. He uses the analogy of shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theatre when there is no fire. He says that what Shenck said would not necessarily have endangered America had they not been at war, so he upheld the conviction. I disagree with this ruling. I think if Holmes will admit that the pamphlet would be protected by free speech if there were no war, it should be protected at any time. I believe this was an example of exploitation of the Sedition Act by Justice Holmes in order to keep public opinion for the war.

2. Do you think some limits on the freedom of speech are necessary? Explain. (Use your own opinion and support it using information from the reading.)     
Yes, I think some limits on freedom of speech should exist, mainly for things that are slanderous and untruthful. The burning of the American flag in 1989 that was protected by freedom of speech was a man expressing his opinion, albeit in a very exaggerated way, hence it was protected. Publishing something about Reagan having an affair to try and ruin his reputation should not be protected, as it is specifically designed to not be true. The limits on freedom of speech should be few, but they should be there. For the most part we should be able to express our opinions openly, as long as they don’t infringe on other peoples’ rights.


3. List three examples of the "historical impact" of the Schenck decision. 
1.) At the peak of the cold war, Americans were persecuted for saying anything in support of Communism.

2.) In the case Tinker v. Des Moines School District, the Supreme Court supported students’ choice to wear black bands in protest of the Vietnam War.

3.) In Texas v. Johnson, a close decision, it was ruled that burning of the flag is legal under freedom of speech.