Premium Essay

Great Depression Diary

Submitted By
Words 1627
Pages 7
1) Until I was six years old and moved to the city, I lived with my old German grandmother at her old farm in Montrose, Pennsylvania. The fields around her house were filled with cows we milked every morning, she had chickens that gave us fresh eggs, a white cat named Mr. Snow, and two tall beige horses named Winnie and Theore. The mountains and woods of Pennsylvania surrounded us at the rural farm. The air was fresh, and the land untouched besides the animals and closest neighbors who were a twenty minute walk away. The farm was a peaceful refuge, and I spent my childhood there with my grandmother, working with animals and learning how to farm.
But that was over twenty years ago now. Ever since my mom picked me up from my grandmother’s right …show more content…
March 16th, 1915, was my 17th birthday. The past couple years my family had been terrifyingly broke, barely affording food, diapers, and let alone a birthday present or two. The depression had hit my family hard, but in the past couple months my father’s jewelry business had made a turn-around. I spent my birthday morning with him working in his story, Charlie’s Fine Jewels and Jewelry, when a tall, thin, beautiful blonde woman wearing shoes with tall heels that I’d never seen before and a long fur coat. The girl’s aura spoke class before she even opened her mouth. She greeted my father with a smile before walking around and observing the display cases. She stopped and admired a diamond necklace for a few minutes before waving my father …show more content…
I opened the purse and found $100 folded gingerly inside. I smiled at my father and thanked him for the gift.
3) The phone rang loudly from the kitchen. I sat at the table munching on a bagel while my mother answered it and talked for a moment before hanging up the phone. “Who wants to go to Uncle Bruce’s today?” My mom sat back down and looked at me and my three siblings. My younger brother, Tony’s hand shot in the air and my other brother Michael started standing in his chair and shouting “Me!” My mom smiled at them before turning to me.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Primary and Secondary Sources

...Primary source is a document of a period-of-time being studied. It includes diary, books, music, photographs, paintings, etc. They are created by witnesses who had experienced events during the period. I have looked into several sources, and music from the great depression interests me the most. The lyrics, melody, and tempo expressed the musicians’ subtext profoundly. By looking at the lyrics from the great depression, I have identified the most frequent topic, which was money. Even though the lyrics came with cheerful tones of melody, but the words deeply strikes my heart. Money can’t buy happiness but you can’t survive without money; people during that time were so desperate for a better life, thus they think about fortune all the time. Desperate lyrics along with ‘happy go lucky’ melody made up the music culture of 1930s American history. Primary sources are very interesting to investigate because they contain real historical evidences that bring people back to the old times. One of the strength of using primary source to understand American history is that unlike secondary source, primary source prevents deformation from the original source. It is a first person point of view from that time and place. The music delivers a strong emotion towards the great depression. Music is already an influential art; music from that period could express the feeling much greater than other primary sources. The purpose of communication is very clear in music, it combine words that described...

Words: 512 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Stock Market Crash

...Twenties, much despair would follow by the end of them. The 1920’s saw an increase in consumer spending as well as a large increase in economic growth. The 1920’s was also an era dominated by Republicans. The Republicans took a rather conservative approach to the economy. They forged tight and close relationships between government and big business. President Warren Harding took the White House in 1921, when the United States economy was seeing the time of a depression. Runaway inflation and a high unemployment rate swept the nation. At the time of World War I the United States economy enjoyed prosperity because of the agricultural industry. With the increase of demand came the increase of prices. With the increase of prices came the increase of output used to supply Europe. With the conclusion of the War the American agricultural industry had a massive surplus of farm goods that by any means could not be absorbed into the international market. The agricultural industry took a large spiral downwards. With much of the depression resulting from the failing agriculture industry President Harding signed the Emergency Tariff of 1921 to help relieve some burden the farmers were being troubled with until a better solution could be put in place. President Harding also passed the...

Words: 891 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Progressive Era Through the Great Depression

...The Progressive Era Through The Great Depression Kaishonta Arnold Professor John Swann History 105 February 9, 2013 The Progressive Era was a period of social activism and political reform in the United States. From the Progressive Era through the Great Depression there were many significant turning points within this period. The Women’s Suffrage Movement was one major historical turning point of the Progressive Era. Another turning point in this period was the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Although “women were basically the main players in the Progressive Era reforms, there right to vote were still denied” (Schultz, 2012). Many pushed for the franchise for all women and through their efforts in the Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution provided full women suffrage. There were two groups that pushed and furthered the cause of women’s suffrage. These two groups were formally called “The National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA), as well as The National Women’s Party (NWP)” (Schultz, 2012). The National American Women’s Suffrage Associations strategy was basically a way to push for suffrage at the state level, hoping that the federal government would pass the amendment. The National Women’s Party’s goal was of eliminating all discrimination against women. As stated by Brown, “In 1923 The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), was announced and launched what would be a life-long campaign to win full equality for women,” (2010). ...

Words: 1339 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Impact of the Great Recession on Workplace Stress

...In 2007, the U.S. economy experienced one of the greatest downturns since the Depression era, and furthered by the collapse on a global scale. The bubble burst on the housing market and the house of cards called the mortgage industry tumbled down, no longer able to sustain charade of success. This caused the collapse of some of the largest financial institutions, once thought to be immortal. This rippled into a massive tightening of the belts of many companies, as they found themselves without lines of credit, lack of business, and the daisy-chain collapse of their support networks. Who paid the final price? Companies cut costs through pay cuts, layoffs, and closings. While this may have saved jobs for many, the feeling of loss and vulnerability permeated corporate American in all ranks. The Great Recession was a rude awakening for those living the American Dream at the turn of the century. The 2000’s were the new 80’s, but for all. People lived off credit, borrowed time with Home Equity Lines of Credit and lived through every cent they made. As people felt corporate American tightening its belt, that belt became a noose around America’s neck. In a 2009 “ABC News/Washington Post poll, 61 percent of Americans said the economy is causing stress in their lives; a third said the stress is "serious." And those who said they've been hurt "a great deal" by the recession reported stress levels more than double those who said they were just "somewhat affected" by the recession...

Words: 1085 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Love

...Discuss 4: first the bill is introduced in congress, debate on it is held and if it gets majority, it is sent to senate. After it gets approval of senate, it is sent for president's approval and after president's approval, it becomes law. Checks and balances were created to keep any one branch of government or any person in government from having too much power. A. LEGISLATION IS INTRODUCED - Any member can introduce a piece of legislation HOUSE - Legislation is handed to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper. SENATE - Members must gain recognition of the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day. The bill is assigned a number. (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) The bill is labeled with the sponsor's name. The bill is sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. Senate bills can be jointlysponsored. Members cancosponsorthe piece of Legislation. B. COMMITTEE ACTION - The bill is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. Most often, the actual referral decision is made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and it may be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned....

Words: 3776 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

American Dream Revised

...cold”. What the immigrants did not know was that finding an ideal life in the west was nearly impossible. Additionally, those who were looking for an ideal life were corrupted by the system. In his book, Steinbeck said that the attainment of the American dream was nearly impossible due to the economic instability and constant government interference. The Joads found unpredictable jobs in California (Ownby 73). They failed to achieve the American dream and so they did not succeed in California. Before they migrated from Oklahoma, the Joads had a good life. They had land, a home and money. Their migration was fuelled by their hopes of finding success and a better life in California. The Grapes of Wrath is set during the great depression. The great depression was a result of the inaction by the federal government which led to failing of the financial institutions. Many people were out of work since jobs were scarce hence a rise in poverty and economic hardships. It basically focuses on the Joads family who move to America in pursuit of the American dream. The economic hardships, drought, changes in financial and agricultural industries forced them to abandon their Oklahoma home for California. In...

Words: 2383 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Hetch Hetchy Controversy

...the country has come at the cost of neglecting environmental issues. The environmental issues would often be put on the back burner and just looked past but a young environmental president by the name of Teddy Roosevelt began to change things. During his presidency and political career Roosevelt brought many environmental issues to the spotlight make very positive change for the environment as well as sparking a new found interest for United States citizen to start making change to protect this earth that we live on. Roosevelt and the other environmentalist were the stepping stones that bring us to the many changes in conservation laws and environmental protection that took place from 1920-1955. During this time period of 1920-1955 many great acts along with environmental groups were formed allowing conservation laws and environmental protection to take enormous leaps in a positive direction. While fighting many hard battles these conservationist and preservation groups would sometimes have to take one step back in order to take two steps forward, but it is those forward steps that lead to the awareness of how important protecting the environment is and set the building blocks for National Parks, forested lands, wildlife protection and so on. In order to take a closer look at these changes we shall take a closer look at the progression through time of different policies,groups and acts that were passed each decade. The roaring 1920s, a thriving era marked with a period of sustained...

Words: 1031 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Business

...thomas a . meyer How Great companies Get Started in terrible times Innovate! Innovate! How Great Companies Get Started in Terrible Times THOMAS A. MEYER John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2010 by Thomas A. Meyer. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose...

Words: 58226 - Pages: 233

Free Essay

Public Policy

...PSC 403: Public Policy Final Exam April 13, 2011 Causes of the Great Recession The Great Recession was something terrible and ugly in the making. This creature had been brewing since the late 70’s and was as fierce as ever by 2007. The Great Recession of 2008-09 has not one cause but several that were clearly underestimated by those in charge as well as average citizens of this country. The left will argue that there was a complete lack of regulation put in place to observe what was happening with mortgage lending. Robert J. Samuelson believes that “there was enough oversight that alert regulators should have spotted problems and intervened to stop dubious lending” (Samuelson, 19). They also say that there were numerous incentives for regulators and investors to ignore the risks that were being taking, which entails a tremendous amount of greed on their part of the matter. The left also states that there was a ‘mindless devotion to free markets’. Now their opponents on the right side of the fence will argue that interest rates had been too low for too long, and that the housing bubble had to pop eventually. They also insisted that the government’s housing policy was to get as many citizens to purchase a house as possible. They used tax incentives, rebates, and low interest rates to get homebuyers to act. I felt it was important to mention what the left and the right believed caused the Great Recession of 2008-09. Once we look at this disaster from afar and under...

Words: 2186 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

I Stand Here Ironing

...A Victim of Depression In the 1930’s, America was hit with the worst economic depression of the twentieth century. It lasted over a decade and resulted in twenty five percent of the population without jobs. What was once the land of opportunity was now the land of desperation. In “I Stand Here Ironing” a mother looks back on her struggle of raising her daughter Emily, during the great depression. The author, Tillie Olsen, uses the setting of the book to explain the decisions the mother made and the lasting effect it had on her daughter. [ Informative] The story begins with Emily’s mother ironing some clothes for the following day. The reader is witnessing an internal discussion she is having with herself, over her oldest daughter Emily. A teacher from school has called her voicing her concerns about helping Emily who seems to be troubled. Unlike most mothers, this news does come with concern but more of frustrating. Emily’s mother clearly expresses her schedule and does not believe that she could provide much help anyways. “ “Who needs help.”… Even if I came, what good would it do? You think because I am her mother I have a key, or that in some way you could use me as a key? She has lived for nineteen years. There is all that life that has happened outside of me, beyond me.” (Tillie Olsen, 283) To her mother Emily has already passed the point of change and will always be who she is. She realizes that she is a big part of how she grew up but thinks that her decisions were...

Words: 984 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Beneatha Younger

...American Intercontinental University Unit 5 IP Eng 206 The Chrysanthemums Set in the 1930s, The Chrysanthemums provides the reader with several symbols that correlate with the time. Elisa Allen seems to be a typical obedient, docile wife who looks after her husband and their home. But as you read on, Steinbeck uses symbols that give deeper insight to Elisa, her marriage, and her feelings. It is realized that there is more to Elisa than initially thought. Elisa is sexually repressed and held captive by a male dominated society that thinks of women as nothing more than mothers and housekeepers. The first significant symbol is the discussion of the weather. Steinbeck describes the winter fog, and how it sits over the valley like a lid on a pot (para 1). This can be seen as a metaphor to describe Elisa feeling trapped in her boring life. There is the mention of the sun shining around the area, on the fields nearby, but no sun in the valley where Elisa lives. The sun is generally associated with warmth and happiness. The fact that it is not present in Elisa’s environment symbolizes that she isn’t happy. The most obvious of symbols is the chrysanthemums. The chrysanthemums are representation of Elisa’s being. She is isolated in the valley; there are no neighbors to speak of. Her husband, his ranch-hand and their dogs are the only people around. She takes pride in her chrysanthemums. This is obvious in the way she cares for them. She is meticulous in the way she trims each...

Words: 842 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Business

...Historical Examples of Labor Supply and Demand Great Depression XECO212 April 6, 2012 One of the most severe disastrous economic incidents that ever happened was called the great depression, which, had formed in 1929 and lasted until 1939. The Great Depression caused many businesses to drastically reduce spending in order to remain profitable, which in turn decreased the demand for labor. There was an excess supply of labor, since many companies lay off workers in order to maintain a normal profit. “The unemployment rate had reached almost 25%; certain sectors, such as certain industries, had unemployment rates of almost 30% to 35%”(Carey Nelson) because of less spending and demand and hence of production. During the great depression the labor demand was decreased and the labor supply was increased, this could have happened by so many A factor, such as productivity was decreased and a decrease in profits by many employers; which this had caused a decrease in demand for labor during the Great Depression. Additionally, the rising wages that occurred until the Great Depression increased the supply for labor as many Americans dreamed of living in a middle class life. Unfortunately, the increase in wages did not follow the increase in supply of labor, leaving many potential employees jobless during the Great Depression. The decrease in the amount of disposable income was also an issue, as many Americans became bankrupt after the...

Words: 540 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Global Financial Crisis

...Mitch Abramson GOVT 123-01 Global Financial Crisis A collapse of the US sub-prime mortgage market and the bursting of the housing bubble in 2007 have had a ripple effect on the global economy. Furthermore, other weaknesses in the global financial system have surfaced. Some financial products and instruments have become so complex and twisted, that as things start to unravel, trust in the whole system started to fail. In turn lack of confidence in the economy has led to what is commonly referred to as the “great recession”. The question left to ask is, where do we go from here? The public is looking for an answer from economists to what will happen next. Because of the lack of certainty in the global forecasts, people are starting to lose confidence in the system. For example, in November 2008, the World Bank predicted the growth of the 2009 GDP to be 0.9%, while the International Monetary Fund predicted a 2.2% growth rate. In January 2009, the IMF revised its forecast to a 0.5% growth rate; two months later, the IMF revised its growth rate again by raising its forecast to 1%. Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke put it plainly in a speech given to the House Budget Committee by saying, “The uncertainty surrounding the outlook is unusually large.” Some economists have resorted to using three letters of the Roman alphabet to represent the future of the GDP growth. Those scenarios are the “U”, the “L”, and the “W” recovery. In a “U” style economy, economic growth will rapidly...

Words: 892 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Chapter 3 - Thompson One Problem

...1) What has happened to Frod’s liquidity position over the past 3 years? How does Frod’s liquidity compare with its peers? Ford Motor Company balance sheet for the years of 2009, 2010 and 2011 show that the company liquidity fluctuating with current liabilities ratio 1.39 in 2009, 12.3 in 2010, and 1.27 in 2011, the quick or acid test ratio is changing as well from 1.28 in 2009, to 1.13 in 20010, and 1.75 in 2011. There are several reasons why the liquidity ratios might have changed for Ford Motor Company over the past 3 years. The US economy was in one of its worst recession since the great depression in the 1930s as a result consumption of auto was at an all time low; as a result Ford Moto Company could have had lots of money tied up in inventory. In relation to Ford’s peers the current ratio for Honda 1.31, Nissan 1.45, and Toyota 1.10. Ford’s Current Ratio is average compare to its peers in the industry during the same period. Creditors like when companies have a high CR ratio although a high current ratio can be both good and bad for companies. 2) Take a look at Ford's inventory turnover ratio. How does this ratio compare with its peers? Have there been any interesting changes over time in this measure? Do you consider Ford's inventory management to be strength or a weakness? The management of firms assets is important to its free cash flow as well as its stock price, it is also very important that companies keep enough assets on hand in order to increase sales and...

Words: 426 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Theroty U

...Theory U? Jeremiah Staropoli ORGB 625 July 31, 2011 Introduction The world has known great leaders since the beginning of recorded time. Before any theories on building leadership skills or new buzz words and phrases about leadership, we experienced the impact of great leaders like Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, and Eleanor Roosevelt. These men and women shared little in common except for the fact that they were willing to take a stand for what they believed in and maximize whatever talents they had towards that end. Martin Luther King led the world through the tumultuous Civil Rights movement and inspired millions to change the way in which they viewed the world and each other. He was willing to give his life for this cause (Honey, 2011). Abraham Lincoln had a similar cause in an even more politically and socially divided nation and made similar sacrifices for his cause (Ferguson, 2011). Gandhi led one of the greatest social and religious reform movements in the history of the world with little formal training of any kind. Before it was popular to have a cause as a “first lady” of our nation, Eleanor Roosevelt set herself apart by championing the cause of those most severely affected by the great depression. “[S]he worked as a tireless advocate for the nation's downtrodden and fought to open relief programs to women” (Beasley, 2010). Theory U Theory U, and other theories like it, however, would have us...

Words: 1787 - Pages: 8