The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression
The War to End All Wars was over, women suffragettes obtained the legal right to vote, America’s factories were churning out record numbers of products for sale at record low prices, with faster transportation and communication becoming available to many households, Americans were excited about the future. It was a decade (10 years) of prosperity and optimism. People were driving cars, visiting the cities and spending their money. This was The Roaring Twenties.
These times were called by some, The Jazz Age. There was a new music beat ringing out in America’s living rooms because of the first ever radio broadcasts in the early 1920s. Big bands and singers such as Bessie Smith became wildly popular. With the new music beat churning out rhythms, women called "flappers" cut their hair and shortened their skirts for dancing. Another group of women, the Temperance Union, continued to believe that the consumption of alcohol was ruining American society, so they set out to have the sale and consumption alcohol anywhere in the United States made illegal. By early 1920 the 18th Amendment went into effect. Referred to as Prohibition, the 18th Amendment banned "the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States…" This created an undercover criminal world for the illegal sale of alcohol.
In the cycle of Boom and Bust economics, often after a boom time of growth and prosperity there will come a bust, or lack of good economics. Suddenly, almost as suddenly as it came, the good economic times in America were over. American’s had over spent their money, over-produced goods in manufacturing, over-used their credit, and over-plowed the farm land. There was no safety net, even for the banks. By 1929, almost no one had the money to pay back the loans, or to buy anything else new. Manufactured goods sat on the shelf untouched. Banks closed, and in 1929 the New York Stock Exchange "crashed." Americans, along with the entire world, were shocked to suddenly find they were in what was called The Great Depression. Only a few managed to remain wealthy. All other people found they had no money, no jobs, no credit, and no hope. In the cities there were long lines of people looking for work and standing in bread lines. In the rural areas, people were able, at least to grow their own food, with one big exception.
In the heartland of America, there was a large section of agricultural land which was suffering from a severe drought. It did not rain in the area for more than 3 years. Because the farmers had heard that Russia was buying wheat at high prices, they plowed up more and more land to plant more and more wheat. The farmers modified the land. Without rain to grow the wheat, the modified land became a blowing, dusty, hopeless place called The Dust Bowl.
There was no way to make crops grow in the high heat with no rain. The dust blew hard, drifting into homes and fields. People had to leave their farms or starve. Their animals suffered, too.
Many families packed up all they could carry on their Model-T trucks and cars and migrated West across the hot desert to California in search for jobs. Others some hopped the rails, riding box cars from place to place looking for work. For every job there were hundreds who applied.
Once again the scientific work of Dr. George Washington Carver helped the farmers in the drought stricken areas with his methods for renewing depleted soils.
In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR as people referred to him, was elected President of the United States by a landslide victory. President Roosevelt believed the government could help the American people. Immediately after he became President, Roosevelt closed the banks until they could become stabilized. He developed a plan that he referred to as the New Deal. These programs helped people find employment. Some examples included the WPA (Works Progress Administration,) the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration,) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) He said, "I pledge to you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people." The New Deal was his attempt to help curb unemployment by hiring and paying people for various projects around America. The initials of WPA or CCC are on sidewalks, schools, and other places across America today.
These times were called by some, The Jazz Age. There was a new music beat ringing out in America’s living rooms because of the first ever radio broadcasts in the early 1920s. Big bands and singers such as Bessie Smith became wildly popular. With the new music beat churning out rhythms, women called "flappers" cut their hair and shortened their skirts for dancing. Another group of women, the Temperance Union, continued to believe that the consumption of alcohol was ruining American society, so they set out to have the sale and consumption alcohol anywhere in the United States made illegal. By early 1920 the 18th Amendment went into effect. Referred to as Prohibition, the 18th Amendment banned "the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States…" This created an undercover criminal world for the illegal sale of alcohol.
In the cycle of Boom and Bust economics, often after a boom time of growth and prosperity there will come a bust, or lack of good economics. Suddenly, almost as suddenly as it came, the good economic times in America were over. American’s had over spent their money, over-produced goods in manufacturing, over-used their credit, and over-plowed the farm land. There was no safety net, even for the banks. By 1929, almost no one had the money to pay back the loans, or to buy anything else new. Manufactured goods sat on the shelf untouched. Banks closed, and in 1929 the New York Stock Exchange "crashed." Americans, along with the entire world, were shocked to suddenly find they were in what was called The Great Depression. Only a few managed to remain wealthy. All other people found they had no money, no jobs, no credit, and no hope. In the cities there were long lines of people looking for work and standing in bread lines. In the rural areas, people were able, at least to grow their own food, with one big exception.
In the heartland of America, there was a large section of agricultural land which was suffering from a severe drought. It did not rain in the area for more than 3 years. Because the farmers had heard that Russia was buying wheat at high prices, they plowed up more and more land to plant more and more wheat. The farmers modified the land. Without rain to grow the wheat, the modified land became a blowing, dusty, hopeless place called The Dust Bowl.
There was no way to make crops grow in the high heat with no rain. The dust blew hard, drifting into homes and fields. People had to leave their farms or starve. Their animals suffered, too.
Many families packed up all they could carry on their Model-T trucks and cars and migrated West across the hot desert to California in search for jobs. Others some hopped the rails, riding box cars from place to place looking for work. For every job there were hundreds who applied.
Once again the scientific work of Dr. George Washington Carver helped the farmers in the drought stricken areas with his methods for renewing depleted soils.
In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR as people referred to him, was elected President of the United States by a landslide victory. President Roosevelt believed the government could help the American people. Immediately after he became President, Roosevelt closed the banks until they could become stabilized. He developed a plan that he referred to as the New Deal. These programs helped people find employment. Some examples included the WPA (Works Progress Administration,) the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration,) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) He said, "I pledge to you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people." The New Deal was his attempt to help curb unemployment by hiring and paying people for various projects around America. The initials of WPA or CCC are on sidewalks, schools, and other places across America today.
