preview

Great Depression DBQ

Better Essays

The Great Depression was a period of economic turmoil in the United States that lasted from 1929 until the end of World War II. The Great Depression reflected the economic crisis of the Stock Market’s sudden crash despite America’s economic steadiness for nearly a decade during the Roaring Twenties. Two long term causes of the Great Depression were the poor management and infrastructure of the banks and the overall production of agriculture. Farms prior to the Great Depression over produced during World War I in order to feed European nations, armies, and that overall process costed money. Corn and wheat were popular at the time for mass production which led to an increase of farmers taking out loans in order to expand the land. As more crops …show more content…

His consideration for the future is reflected in his programs that made up the New Deal. FDR created these programs in order to further relieve stress from low income families and provide employment to others; his vision for the New Deal was long term. Programs such as National Youth Administration (NYA) gave families money so that their children could afford to go to school and get an education without worrying about the cost. An education provides long term benefits to future generations because it creates a more productive and wholesome society. Document 1 describes an American worker who benefited from the New Deal, Helen Farmer, who worked in the NYA as a teenager stating that it helped her own mother out when it came to money. This document reflects how FDR’s NYA provided grants to high school students in exchange for work and that allowed adolescents to continue studying without the employment rate dropping. Another program that guaranteed the well being of America’s future was the Works Progress Administration (WPA) which provided nourishment to underprivileged children who couldn’t afford it. The WPA provided employment to the unemployed and new construction to communities around the United States. Daily service of warm food was also prepared by women workers that made it possible for millions of children to have a meal, while providing women with jobs, which …show more content…

Unlike Hoover, FDR was proactive, against rugged individualism and believed in a strong centralized government in order to get out of the deep depression. The programs that FDR initiated through the New Deal are still beneficial and in place to this day. The Social Security Act (SSA) provided checks that ensured the welfare of citizens. This program provided coverage to the disabled, children, adults, and more. Pension is also another aspect that the SSA provided and still provides to the elderly. The SSA provided recovery to many people during the Great Depression and it continues to be used in our society today. Unemployment benefits also originated from FDR’s New Deal and are still available to American citizens today. These forms of government securities benefit the American people and all owe their American benefits to FDR’s forward thinking attitude and his New Deal

Get Access