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Stock Market Crash
Following an economic boom during the Roaring Twenties, the stock market fell nearly twelve percent on October 29, 1929. -
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Great Depression
The worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized Western world. -
Bank Panic
A financial crisis that resulted in a severe decline in the money supply. This occurred after the Great Crash of 1929, when economic activity was declining. The crisis itself was a result of a series of state-chartered bank failures. -
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Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl refers to the severe dust storms that occurred during a drought in the 1930s. From Texas to Nebraska, people and livestock were killed and crops failed to grow. This only intensified the effects of the Great Depression. Here are a number of primary sources:
[https://www.loc.gov/items/2017760356,2017760331,2017760332?st=gallery] -
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Hooverville
As the Great Depression worsened, the unemployed citizens of America were evicted from their homes and created encampments on the outskirts of town, which became known as Hoovervilles as President Hoover was in office.
Here are a number of primary sources covering Hoovervilles:
[http://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/digital-document-libraries/hoovervilles-in-seattle] -
Roosevelt's First 100 Days
The first 100 days of FDR's presidency in which he passed a series of fifteen major bills designed to counter the effects of the Great Depression. These bills included the Federal Emergency Relief Act, the Homeowners Refinancing Act, and the Glass-Steagall Act. -
End of Prohibition
FDR ratified the 21st Amendment, which ended the national Prohibition, with the hope of creating new jobs and tax revenue. -
Unemployment
The unemployment rate during the Great Depression reached its peak in 1933. It was nearly 25%. -
Unemployment Insurance
As part of his Second New Deal, FDR signed the Social Security Act, which set up a system of unemployment insurance, guaranteed pensions and ensured that dependent children and the disabled would be helped by the federal government. -
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Second New Deal
As the economy continued to struggle with high unemployment rates and widespread poverty, FDR enacted his Second New Deal, which offered further legislative reforms and laid the foundation for today's modern social welfare system. The Second New Deal included the Works Progress Administration relief program and the Social Security Act.