The Great Depression

The Great Depression
The Dust Bowl
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Karen Hesse
Children's Lives
Vocabulary
Quizzes
Bibliography
Activities
Links


The book, Out Of The Dust, took place in Oklahoma during The Great Depression. The Great Depression was when there was very little money and very few people had work. Understanding the Great Depression helps to better understand the book Out Of The Dust.

The Great Depression was when mostly everybody was unemployed, children did not attend school every day and people stood in line to get food. It began in October of 1929. It occurred mainly because of the stock market crash. This was when most everyone was spending their money on stocks and then all their money was lost when the market crashed. The banks close and no one could get their money.

During the first years of the depression Herbert Hoover was President but the people said he did not help at all. In 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt became President. Roosevelt created The New Deal. The New Deal had three purposes. The first was to provide relief for the needy. The second was to provide jobs and encourage business. The third was to change laws so a depression would not happen again. Roosevelt also reopened banks and passed laws and acts that are still important today. For instance, the Social Security Act was passed, this made people feel safe. This helped the Great Depression.

The Great Depression was over and another World War was starting. The ideas of the Great Depression helped shape the government for the future. Even though the New Deal did not end the depression, it helped thousands of people to survive it. Many of the acts that were passed then we still use today.