The Great Depression was devastating for the common man. Approximately a third of the United States' population was unemployed, and many of the employed were working at a salary below the cost of living. At the onset of the Depression, President Hoover did little to correct the economy or to aid the country for three years, assuring that the economy was sound. As unemployment spiraled, a new person was elected to office. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's plan to turn around the American economy was known as the New Deal. This was a series of programs designed to provide relief for the average citizen, recovery for the economy, and reform for the future.
A major New Deal relief program, the Tennessee Valley Authority, gave opportunities for working men to earn a paycheck; however, not all men were eligible. "Without protest from Washington, local agencies working with TVA systematically excluded black Americans from participation and benefits" (The National Experience 704). Additionally, "New Deal agencies generally ... perpetuated segregation and discrimination within the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] and in the distribution of work relief in the south," (The National Experience 718).
While the New Deal programs tended to exclude blacks, many social barriers were broken down. "The New Deal, by revising the structure of status, brought about profound social changes," (The National Experience 718). The Depression acted as a great equalizer. Millionaires became homeless practically overnight.
During the 1930s, breadlines became a common sight. The population had never before experienced such widespread hardship, and people often would lose hope for the future. All races and all classes of people suffered, starved, and even died. Only a select few escaped the Depression without experiencing hardship.
Compiled by Eric Hertsch