1920’s and 1920’s and 1930’s 1930’s

Magazine Magazine Created by GHS American History Class Created by GHS American History Class

Economic growth in the 1920sEconomic growth in the 1920sBy Connor and BranonBy Connor and Branon

What businesses did well and how did it contribute to the economic growth?

The economic growth of the 1920s was due to multiple business and industries doing very well, in addition to the accessibility of new products to consumers. Industries that did well were the banking, radio, and steel industries. The steel industry was doing so well, it was considered a keystone industry. The economy was so prosperous, for steel especially, that they were able to give workers higher wages, hire more workers, and cut the hours workers had to work, and still were able to turn a profit (The Jazz Age)! Something that’s rather incredible in business still today and back then.

Another thing that contributed to the economic growth of the 20s was the stock market. Everyone started to realize that everyone could be rich in America (The Crash of 1929) and speeches by the current president kept that mindset rolling. At the start of the 20s, stock market prices were rather low (Carlisle, Rodney) but people started pouring money into the market, driving prices higher because of the demand. Also, because of the demand, brokers started setting shares higher than the actual value (Carlisle, Rodney). However, all this demand, people losing money, prices being set too high, and other stuff, caused people to take out money from banks and invest it, where it would be lost and cause people and families into go into debt (The Jazz Age). About the same time, a car company, Stutz, went out of business ("The Onset of the Depression: 1928-1932."). This might have been another signal that the economy was about to crash, as cars used steel, one of the keystone industries.

Should the government have regulated the economy during the 1920s to restrict credit?

Through our research, we have come to the conclusion that the government regulating the economy to restrict credit would not have been effective. We decided that it was the careless-ness of how banks, businesses, and individuals handled the money they had that cause the economic growth and the downfall of it in 1929. Businesses that gave credit never seemed to have consequences f you missed credit payments and people would just use more credit (or loans from banks) to cover the debt they had to pay. It became an endless loop of debt with the money disappearing. In summary, it was a lack of education in the economy and money and how the system works that caused the economic depression.

Works Cited

Baughman, Judith S. American Decades: 1920-1929. New York: Gale Research,

1996. 76+. Print.

Carlisle, Rodney P. Roaring Twenties, 1920 to 1929. New York: Facts on File, 2009.

Print.

The Crash of 1929. Prod. Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer. PBS, n.d. Online Digital.

The Jazz Age: The 20s. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1998. Print.

"The Onset of the Depression: 1928-1932." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 16

Feb. 2014.

American Culture American Culture and Society during and Society during

the Great Depressionthe Great DepressionLuke RLuke R.. and Devin V and Devin V..

During the Great Depression the culture and the society of America dropped to an all time low. Nobody saw this Depressing time coming, they were doing so well and feeling so good just a few years back. In the 1920’s everything was booming, people had money in their pockets, new consumer items, and the realistic hopes of striking rich through the popular stock market. Americans had just came off a recent raise of their daily wage, they were now making more money, enough to buy nice houses, nice clothes, and live good lives. New inventions like the automobile, radio, telephone, and other electrical consumer items gave them access to things they never had before. They also had a credit system, they could borrow the money now, buy the item, and pay it back later. People of the 1920’s were living optimistic and carelessly.

Once the 1930’s hit things were spiraling down fast, the Stock Market crashed, lots of people and businesses lost their money and tons of people lost their jobs. The American people now had no jobs, less money, and were still in their consumer debts. People had to sell their things, their houses and now were living hopelessly. People were living in small shantytowns outside of cities called “Hoovervilles” which were unsanitary, unheated and hopeless (City Life During…). The culture had dramatically changed in the matter of a couple years, now people were singing songs like “Brother, Can you Spare a Dime,” wearing cheap clothing, and trying to find things like movies and baseball to get their minds off of the tough times they were in.

During the Great Depression times were rough and some of the culture of America reflected the tone, but some of the culture was made to get peoples minds off of the tough times they were in. Music was popular during the Great Depression just like it is now, but their songs were different. Arguably, the most popular song during the Great Depression was “Brother Can you Spare a Dime,” sang by Rudy Vallee and composed by Jay Gomey (“AllMusic”). This song is a perfect example of the peoples feelings during this time. People felt very attached to this song because it explained exactly what they were feeling and what they were going through. On the other hand, jazz music was very popular during the Great Depression, because it got people's minds off of the tough times they were in. Duke Ellington was the head of Jazz with popular songs like “It don’t mean a thing (if it ain’t got swing),” “I’m slapping Seventh Avenue (with the sole of my shoe),” and “Creole Love Song”(“AllMusic”).

Movies were also popular during the Great Depression, the Marx brothers were very popular in Hollywood with their comedy, their goal was to just get people to laugh and get their minds off of the tough times. People also enjoyed action movies like “Little Caesars,” this movie was about a small time killer who rises to the top of a mob. The Wizard of Oz also debut in the late 1930’s, this movie reflected the tough times of the Great Depression as Dorothy escapes our world, and enters into the magical land of Oz (Piazza, Nathan).

Lots of culture can be seen in the clothing people wear, this was also true in the 1930’s. Clothing industries had to switch to less expensive items so they could maintain a profit and people could afford the clothing. People were not able to afford a lot of clothes, the clothes they did wear were cheap and dirty. During this time the zipper was invented, it was made to replace the more expensive buttons (1930’s Fashions including…). The tough times and the clothing people wore were in direct relation.

Another escape for the people during the Great Depression was the popular game of baseball. Many owners feared that the teams would go bankrupt and the league would go under, due to lack of people buying tickets and souvenirs. But, none of the 16 teams struggled as baseball was a release for the depressing times. Popularity grew with the invention of the radio, new stadiums were built and old stadiums were being innovated. The Cincinnati Reds brought the lights over the stadium and the Chicago Cubs had the popular ivy planted on the walls. The stars were as bright as ever headlined by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe Dimaggio. Even the Negro League had a star of their own, star pitcher Satchel Paige (Johnson, RT). Although times were very depressing during this time, people found things to do to get their minds off the times.

Automobile

Clothing Rudy Vallee - Brother Can You Spare A Dime

Wizard of Oz 1939

Duke Ellington

Hooverville

Duck Soup - Marx Brothers

Ivy Covered Wall - Chicago Babe Ruth

Works Cited

"1930's Fashions including Prices." Clothes and Men's and Ladies Fashions in the 1930's Prices and

Examples. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

"AllMusic." AllMusic. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

"City Life During the Great Depression." City Life During the Great Depression. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb.

2014.

"Duck Soup." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

Johnson, RT. "The History Rat." The History Rat. N.p., 2 Jan. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

Piazza, Nathan, and Elizabeth Paul. "This Land Is Your Land: Rural Music & the Depression." This Land Is

Your Land: Rural Music & the Depression. American Studies at the University of Virginia, 30 Mar.

1999. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

The Stock Market The Stock Market Crash of 1929Crash of 1929

By Dustin F. and Richard F. By Dustin F. and Richard F.

When the Stock Market crashed how did people respond. Every business and person lost a lot of money and people started losing their jobs. The day the Stock market crashed was a huge crisis. Everyone lost money very few had any money or job to support their family. The economy took a huge dive and now someone has to step up and help America to get back on their feet and that man’s name is Franklin Roosevelt.

We believe the stock market was an effect of the Depression. This made people go in debt and need money from the huge stock crash. The depression drove this to happen because f the hard time and the economy go up and down and know one having jobs.

The Dust BowlThe Dust BowlBy Isaac K. and Cassidy J. By Isaac K. and Cassidy J.

Imagine a dust cloud that covers five states and blocks the sun most of the day. This is basically what the Dust Bowl was. One farmer described the Dust Bowl of “dry soil like snow” that hung in the air all the time. This massive wall of dirt started its severity in 1931 and continued through most of the 1930s. In Oklahoma of 1934, there were 36 consecutive days of 100+ degrees F (Burg). The year of 1932 brought 20,000 foreclosures on homes, farms, and businesses, starting a large “migration” (Nardo). Many fled, most from Oklahoma, in 1934-1937 to California. These people were called “Okies” by the California natives (Burg).

The Dust Bowl

Dust Storm

We believe the Dust Bowl was only a partially man-made disaster. It began when farmers failed to continue crop rotation regularly. This makes the soil not as abundant in some elements and more in others, because different crops need and use different minerals and nutrients from the soil. It made the ground not very rich. Also, a drought began around this time, making the soil even less moist (Burg). When these two factors mixed together, it created the accumulating dusty fog in the air called the Dust Bowl.

Works Cited “About The Dust Bowl." About The Dust Bowl. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Burg, David F. The Great Depression. New York: Facts on File, 1996. Print. Facts on File Library of American History.

Callan, Jim. America in the 1930s. New York: Facts On File, 2005. Print.

Fremon, David K. The Great Depression in American History. Springfield, NJ, USA: Enslow, 1997. Print.

Nardo, Don. The Great Depression. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print. Turning Points.

Should Hoover Be Should Hoover Be BlamedBlamed??

By Blaine and TrystinBy Blaine and Trystin

Hoover’s ResponseSo what did Hoover try to do to resolve the Great Depression? Well, he created some policies the try to help the economy such as, the AMA (Agricultural Marketing Act) which would help with the agricultural depression. He also created the HSTA (Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act) to help raise tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods, to help bring more money into the economy. He also thought that he could solve this problem by putting a lot of money into the corporations, and then that money would eventually ‘trickle down’ to the people that were in need of it. But, these policies and plans didn’t do much (Callan 16-18). Some people wanted welfare, but Herbert Hoover thought that the people would become dependent on it. So, as the Great Depression deepened, people views on Hoover started to change. During the Presidential Election of 1928 Hoover won by a landslide, and Hoover was very popular to the people.

But, between 1930 and 1932 people were becoming angry and frustrated at Hoover, and that is when they started to dislike him and naming things after him (Callan 16). The people started calling little houses on the outsides of cities and in parks that the homeless lived in, Hoovervilles. Broken down cars would be called Hoover Wagons, and old newspapers that the homeless used to keep warm were called Hoover Blankets (Callan 18,19). Soon, the people started to make petitions for businesses to hire them, and people would demand food from grocery stores. Workers would also throw rocks that the police when they would try to stop them. As you can see, what Hoover was doing was not helping, but causing violence and distress (Callan 24).

Should he be Blamed?

Many people wonder should Hoover be blamed for the Great Depression? We don’t think Hoover should be blamed. He started coming up with solutions a couple months after the Great Depression started. We also think this because he tried many different solutions to many different problems, sadly they just didn’t work. That doesn’t mean we should just blame him for everything. There were lots of things that caused the Great Depression like all the Stock market speculation caused the Stock market to crash, and then people withdrew from banks then the banks failed and the more the banks failed the more the people withdrew (The Great Depression). Hoover could have done other things to help not just the economy, but the people. He could have let people use welfare, but he didn’t. So, after all that happened people just looked down on Hoover like it was his fault. Of course some of it might be his fault because he could have done other things, but the Great Depression shouldn’t be blamed on Hoover (Herbert Hoover).

Picture of Herbert Hoover

Works CitedCallan, Jim. "Hard Times, 1930-1932." America in the 1930s. New York:

Facts On File, 2005. 16-25. Print.

"The Great Depression." The Great Depression. Communications Inc., 2000.

Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

"Herbert Hoover." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 Feb.

2014.

“Herbert Hoover.” 2014. The History Channel website. Feb 18 2014, 10:03

The Election of The Election of 19321932

By Peyton MBy Peyton MTaylor Taylor SS

The election of 1932 was a race between Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt.Hoover, a Republican, was nominated “without opposition, or enthusiasm” (Burg 82). Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, was nominated because he was thought to be an “attractive mixture of experience” (The Miller Center). During the race for presidency Hoover was very unpopular, yet he promised Americans relief. Roosevelt offered Americans a “New Deal” (Taylor). This deal included tariff deductions, public works projects, reforestation program, and massive relief for citizens. Roosevelt had also declared “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people” (Burg 84). Roosevelt also used Hoovers unpopularity against him by verbally attacking Hoover (The Miller Center). He “projected confidence, energy, compassion, and joy.” Also by helping combat the depression in New York as governor helped him. At the end of the election Roosevelt had a landslide win. Roosevelt has gotten “23 million votes out of 39.7 million, 57.4% popular, securing 472 electoral votes” (Burg 84).

Herbert Hoover

Roosevelt had won this election, because he promised very many things that people thought would be most effective in combating the Great Depression. He promised people a “new deal.” This included things like lowering tariffs, providing more jobs, and massive relief for Americans. One other thing that helped him win was the fact that as governor of New York City he had made his own attempts to combat the Great Depression in the state (Burg 84). Though Roosevelt had said many things in his speech after he was nominated, he really didn’t say many new things about what he was going to do as president. He took the unpopularity of President Hoover and used it to gain his own popularity. Though many believed Franklin D. Roosevelt was incapable to become president he used his confidence, energy, compassion, and joy to counteract that (The Miller Center).

Works Cited

Burg, David F. "The 1932 Election." The Great Depression: An

Eyewitness History. New York: Facts On File, 1996. 82-84. Print.

"Miller Center." American President: Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

Campaigns and Elections. Miller Center, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Taylor, Nicholas. "Seattle Newspapers' Support for FDR during the

1932 Election." FDR Election Support, 1932. N.p., Winter 2009.

Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Franklin Franklin RooseveltRoosevelt

By: Skylar IBy: Skylar I. . and Peyton Band Peyton B..

Although Roosevelt’s New Deals did not end the Great Depression, they employed millions of people. The New Deals were an effective solution to help end Depression. In the book, Hard Times The 30s says, “In its nine years of existence the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps.) took some 2.5 million young men from the ranks of the unemployed, paid them $30 a month, and put them to work planting 200+ million trees, and many other jobs (Books.)” Another program Roosevelt created was the PWA (Public Works Administration), during 1933-1939 put the unemployed to work building roads, building sewage systems and building thousands of schools. According to the website PBS, “The PWA seems to have disappeared from American’s collective memory, even though it’s structures are all around us, and some of them are even enormous (Winters.)”

Roosevelt’s New Deals ended the Great Depression by creating programs to create jobs to put money back into the economy. Ways along with the New Deals Roosevelt created to fix the economy were to set minimum wage, maximum hours, stop child labor and to stabilize legal rights. Roosevelt wanted to limit the spending on public works and spend more on the relief to the unemployed. Two programs of the New Deal Roosevelt put to action, (along with many others), were the WPA (Works Projects Administration) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) together put almost 6 million people back to work and were one of the main contributing factors to the end of the depression. The WPA put people to work by building roads, parks, and buildings; while the CCC had men planting trees, cleaning camping sites and beaches. All the New Deal programs helped America’s economy strengthen and gave Americans a new hope.

Works CitedGerdes, Louise I. The 1930s. 1930s ed. Vol. 4. San Diego, CA:

Greenhaven, 2000. Print. America's Decades.

Levy, David W. "Fireside Chats." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 363-64. Print.

Books, Ed Time Life. TIME LIFE- OUR AMERICAN CENTURY --30's: HARD TIMES - THE 30'S. VIRGINIA: TIME-LIFE, 1998. Print.

Savage, Sean J. "The Great Depression and The New Deal." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 845-47. Print.

Winters, Catherine. "PWA Public Works Administration." PBS. PBS, 5 June 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

The New DealThe New DealBy: Ean HBy: Ean H..

What was the New Deal?

What was the New Deal? Well, it was a desperate try to get out of the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president at the time. He tried many things like building dams and other things for communities. The New Deal took place between 1933 to 1938 and was still not great after that but it was way better. The three main goals were to employ people, recover good economic status, and have economic and social reforms. So many people had so much stress with no money and no home. Roosevelt came up with the three R’s which were relief, recovery, and reforms. It was so bad over 20% of Americans had no jobs. FDR didn’t want to give the people money, he wanted them to work for themselves and get the economy back. He didn’t want to give them the money because he was afraid that if he did that whenever there was another crisis they would come crawling to the president and ask for money.

What did the New Deal do?

Did the New Deal help or destroy the economy? There are many opinions but in my eyes it helped the economy. He had the people work for themselves so they would become stronger together. He also helped people who had it the worst by maybe giving them money if they did something for the government like not plant food in certain areas of each acre. He then decided it would be a good idea to build dams. Many people were with the idea and some were not. They did build them and with the electricity they made money off of it for people using it so that also helped America on their way to recovery. Over the recovery there were more than 10 acts set into place by FDR. He thought that if there were more most would succeed and most of them did. He then finished his years after serving 12 years and left America in a better place than they were.

Work Cited"American President: A Reference Resource." American President: Franklin

Delano Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

"Franklin D. Roosevelt." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Our Book

Minorities in the Minorities in the New DealNew Deal

by Dakota Cby Dakota C.. and Davis B and Davis B..

Minorities during the DepressionAll of the minority groups were all affected by the Great Depression. American Indians used this time to improve their culture and build large reserves. Mexican-Americans were having a large issue on illegal immigration, to the point where the government was going to halt immigration completely(“McElvaine 115-127”). Women were also hit hard, there salaries were often barely enough to pay for their own lunches(“Deutsch 37-38”).

Did the New Deal change economic opportunities enjoyed by minorities?

At first it hurt minorities, The Federal Housing Agency made it so that blacks could not move into white neighborhoods, and many public works projects would not hire African-Americans. The AAA started to push African Americans off their land, and the new social security system completely excluded them. However in the end it helped them overall. Federal relief programs helped out Whites and Blacks alike. Jobs were created by the WPA which had a non-discrimination act. Black political leaders also banded together into the “Black Cabinet”. As for other minority groups, many of them prospered because of the new deal. People like Amelia Earhart (Aviator) and Margaret Mitchell (Actress “Gone with the wind”)

CitationDeutsch, Sarah. From Ballots to Breadlines: American Women,

1920-1940. New York: Oxford UP, 1994. Print.

McElvaine, Robert S. "Chapter Nine: Race and Ethnicity in the

Thirties." The Depression and New Deal: A History in

Documents. New York: Oxford UP, 2000. 115-27. Print.

"Minorities and the New Deal." Minorities and the New Deal.

N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

By Catherine CBy Catherine C.., Gabe C, Gabe C.., and Kyle G, and Kyle G..

Opponents of Opponents of the New Dealthe New Deal

Opponents of the New Deal did everything they could to put an end to the New Deal. According to “The Americans,” the opponents thought the New Deal didn’t do enough to help the poor and reform the economy. They shaped public opinion, which may have influenced the Supreme Court to strike down the Agricultural Adjustment Act and declare the National Industrial Recovery Act unconstitutional (Danzer). Charles Coughlin, a Roman Catholic Priest and big opponent of the New Deal, broadcasted sermons on the radio including economic, political, and religious ideas (Danzer). Huey P. Long, a senator from Louisiana, was another major opponent of the ND. He created his own program called Share-the-Wealth which included heavier taxes and limited individuals to an annual income of a million dollars(Watkins). Even with all of the opponents’ efforts against the New Deal, Franklin Delano Roosevelt closed all the banks down on the sixth of March to stop them collapsing and caused the public to gain more confidence in the financial system(Miller Center).

Some of the ideas of critics of the New Deal were justified in their criticism. For example, Huey P. Long thought that Franklin Delano Roosevelt focused too much on the American businesses and their interests rather than the poor, elderly, and working class (Miller Center). Charles Coughlin also thought this about the New Deal and FDR and we’d have to agree with them (Watkins). FDR does seem to focus a little too much on businesses that could probably pull themselves up while the people who are the weakest, such as the poor and elderly, aren’t getting enough support. Although we think that FDR should focus more on the poor and elderly, focusing on businesses did seem to be pretty smart as well. We don’t want them to go under and weaken the economy even more. Overall, some critics of the New Deal were justified in their criticism.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt invented the New Deal. It was designed as a way to make new jobs for the unemployed. Employers are firing people instead of paying their wages causing the unemployment. Al Smith formed the American Liberty League which made the New Deal look radical. The opposition claimed that it did not help.

Works Cited "Miller Center." American President: Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs.

N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Danzer, Gerald A., J. Jorge De Alva, Larry S. Krieger, Louis E. Wilson, and Nancy Woloch. The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2003. Print.

Watkins, T. H. The Great Depression: America in the 1930s. Boston: Little, Brown, 1993. Print.

Huey Long

The Election of The Election of 19361936

By: Kara SBy: Kara S..

Franklin Roosevelt Alfred M. Landon

The election of 1936, held on November 3rd, 1936 was between the incumbent democratic president Franklin Roosevelt and republican Kansas governor Alfred M Landon. Roosevelt won by a “landslide” because he won by so much. “It was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States.” (“United States Presidential Election, 1936." Wikipedia) Franklin won the most popular votes and electoral votes. At the end of the race Franklin was left with 523 electoral votes and 27,751,597 popular votes, while Landon was left with only 8 electoral votes and 16,679,583 popular votes. (“United States Presidential Election, 1936." Wikipedia.) Roosevelt swept over every state from Landon except Maine and Vermont. (“The Election of 1936." Boundless)Why did Roosevelt win by such a landslide? Franklin Roosevelt was also in the run of the election of 1932 against Herbert Hoover and blamed Hoover for the depression and offered americans recovery of the depression by offering a “New Deal.” (Set of programs and policies designed to promote economic recovery and social reform) Americans wanted to regain strength in the economy and they believed that Franklin Roosevelt could do that by working to push the provisions of his New Deal. (“United States Presidential Election, 1932." Wikipedia.)

Franklin Roosevelt’s new deal was suppose to help Americans recover from the depression that Herbert Hoover supposevly caused. How did Americans feel about Roosevelt’s new deal? Did they like it? The new deal Franklin Roosevelt was working on was suppose to help americans recover from the great depression. Such as, social security, and unemployment benefits. Americans seemed to like it and it seemed to be helping them! Social Security Act: This act established a system that provided old-age pensions for workers, survivors benefits for victims of industrial accidents, unemployment insurance, and aid for dependent mothers and children, the blind and physically disabled. Works Progress Administration (WPA) 1935-1943: This agency provided work for 8 million Americans. The WPA constructed or repaired schools, hospitals, airfields, etc. Which dropped the unemployment rate.

On the other hand mounting evidence, however, makes clear that poor people were principal victims of the New Deal. New Deal programs were financed by tripling federal taxes from $1.6 billion in 1933 to $5.3 billion in 1940. Other New Deal programs destroyed jobs, too. For example, the National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) cut back production and forced wages above market levels, making it more expensive for employers to hire people - blacks alone were estimated to have lost some 500,000 jobs because of the National Industrial Recovery Act. "How FDR’s New Deal Harmed Millions of Poor People."