Social Effects of the Great Depression
Facts for kids:
Part Two
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Social Effects of the Great Depression
for kids.
Facts
about the Social Effects of the Great Depression for
kids - Part
Two
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact 19:
Human Needs: The
poverty stricken homeless people suffered severe deprivation of basic human
needs, deprived of:
● Shelter
● Adequate food and nutrition
● Sanitation facilities
● Safe drinking water
● Health
● Education and information
Social
Effects of the Great Depression Fact 20:
Shanty Towns
(Hoovervilles): Widespread homelessness led to the
disastrous social effects of living in Shantytowns,
nicknamed 'Hoovervilles' that were built on unused
or public land often on the outskirts of towns and
cities. The homeless had no option but to live in
squalid conditions in makeshift shacks that provided
less than adequate shelter. Floors often consisted of
dirt or clay, there was limited access to safe drinking
water and totally inadequate sanitation facilities,
latrines were dug in ditches. Refer to
Shantytowns and
Hoovervilles
Social
Effects of the Great Depression Fact 21:
Social Effects
of Hoovervilles:
The Hoovervilles provided a new type of community for
poor, homeless people and their establishment led to
unforeseen social effects, despite the terrible
circumstances. In the large shantytowns the people
established their own community government and even
elected a 'mayor' as their leader to establish codes of
behavior and settle any disputes.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
22: Hobos: Between 1 - 2
million men and boys left their homes to search for any kind of
employment all over the country. Many adopted the lifestyles of
Hobos and 'riding the rails' across the nation. These were
desperate, unemployed men who felt they were a burden and hindrance
to their families. Others were simply unable to cope with the shame
of their changed circumstances. More shanty towns, called 'Hobo
Jungles' sprang up by most city railroad stations.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
23: Social Effects
on Education:
The lack of education was another of the social effects
of the period. Young boys who had left home and who
became hobos did not attend school or learn to
read and write. Children living in shanty towns were
also severely deprived of education.
Schools closed as teachers were laid off and school hours
were cut.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
24: Social Effects
of Bread Lines: The 'Bread Lines'
emerged as another of the awful social effects of the
era. Proud men and women were publically shamed as they
queued in lines for free
handouts of food, notably bread. (At the time a loaf of
bread cost a nickel).
Bread lines were a common sight
in most America cities during the 1930s and the need was
so great that Bread Lines sometimes stretched over
several blocks.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
25: Social Effects
of Soup Kitchens:
Another demonstration of the social effects of the era
were the emergence of
Soup
Kitchens. Soup kitchens
provided food, generally soup and bread, to the hungry.
Soup kitchens were financed by charities and wealthy
individuals (Al Capone improved his image by financing a
soup kitchen in New York). As many as 3000 hungry
people might be served at one soup kitchen in one day,
totally dependent on the charity of others.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
26: Begging:
Starving and destitute Americans resorted to begging and
their despair was conveyed in the lyrics of 1932 song by
Bing Crosby called "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?".
Continued...
Facts
about the Social Effects of the Great Depression for
kids - Part
Two
Facts
about the Social Effects of the Great Depression for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with Facts about the Social Effects of the Great Depression
for kids.
Facts
about the Social Effects of the Great Depression for
kids - Part
Two
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
27: Men vs Women: Women and
men experienced the Great Depression differently. Men were
traditionally socialized to consider themselves as breadwinners.
When they were unable to support their families they felt like
useless failures. Women, on the other hand, saw their roles as
housewives enhanced as they juggled to make ends meet.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
28: Social Effects
of Fertility Rates:
During the great Depression the US fertility rate,
meaning the number of children born to women aged 15-44,
declined by nearly 20%. The widespread poverty caused
dramatic changes to family life as young couples put off
having children. The Fertility Rates per 100,000 women
aged 15-44 were 93.8 in 1928 but plummeted to 76.33 in
1933.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
29: Marriage: Another reason for
the fall in the birth rate was thet fewer couples could
afford to marry. In 1929 the marriage rate was 10.14 per
1000 people. In 1932 the marriage rate had fallen to
7.87 per 1000 people.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
30: Divorce:
The divorce rate fell by 10% during the Great
Depression. It was too expensive to pay the legal fees
and support two households. A 1940 survey later revealed
that 1.5 million married women had been abandoned by
their husbands.
Social
Effects of the Great Depression Fact 31:
Women's Action
Groups: During the Great Depression women began to
organize into local groups in response to the high
levels of poverty, homelessness and unemployment. Women
protested against evictions, organized boycotts against
stores that were charging inflated prices and picketed
government relief offices for more unemployment
benefits.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
32: Social Effects
of the Dust Bowl:
A devastating drought hit the nation in 1932 and the
prairie states witnessed great dust storms and the
creation of the 'Dust Bowl'.
100 million acres of
farming land was destroyed, 3 million farmers were
adversely effected due to unemployment and many families became homeless.
This led to a mass migration to California. John
Steinbeck wrote "The Grapes of Wrath" about the social
effects that people experienced due to the Dust Bowl.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
33: Social Effects
and Behavior
Changes: The social effects of the Great Depression
brought significant behavior changes triggered by fear,
suspicion and desperate attempts to keep hold of jobs
and deny access to their land. There was mass
employment, people were starving but many ordinary
Americans turned their back on their plight of the
dispossessed and homeless who had been forced into a
nomadic existence. John Steinbeck describes this aspect
of social effects in "The Grapes of Wrath" in which
established citizens in California, frightened by the
arrival of so many 'Okies' tried to prevent their entry
into California established a border patrol, dubbed the
"Bum Blockade," at major road and rail crossings and
local police repeatedly burned down the shantytown camps
of the migrants.
Social Effects of the Great Depression Fact
34: Protests:
Behavior patterns changed as one of the other social
effects of the era. Americans participated in Hunger
Marches and 40,000 WW1 veterans and their families,
referred to as the
Bonus Army, congregated
in Washington DC to lobby congress for early payment of
the WW1 veterans’ bonuses. They were denied early
payment, evicted from their camps and dispersed by the
heavy handed treatment of the US Army under Douglas MacArthur
by which over 1000 people suffered
from tear gas inhalation.
Facts
about the Social Effects of the Great Depression - Part
Two
Facts about
the Social Effects of the
Great Depression for kids - Part
2
For visitors interested in the history of
the Great Depression refer to the following articles:
Social Effects of the Great Depression - President Herbert Hoover Video
The article on the Social Effects of the Great Depression provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Herbert Hoover video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 31st American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933.
Social Effects of the Great Depression
●
Interesting Facts 19 - 34 about the Social Effects for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Social Effects of the Great Depression in US history
●
The Social Effects of the era, a major
event in US history
●
Herbert Hoover from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933
●
Fast, fun facts about the Social Effects of the Great Depression
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Herbert Hoover
●
Herbert Hoover Presidency and
Social Effects of the Great Depression for schools,
homework, kids and children |