Responses to the Needs Created by the Great Depression by Sterling J.

"Police stand guard outside the entrance to New York's closed World Exchange Bank, March 20, 1931. Not only did bank failures wipe out people's savings, they also undermined the ideology of thrift."

Photo courtesy of: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm



During the 1930's and 1940's, America was stricken by the effects of the stock market crash of 1929 and economic downfall around the world. Americans found themselves more in need than ever, and the people felt it was up to the government to step in and provide relief. Elected in 1928 and inaugurated just a few months before the 1929 stock market crash, President Herbert Hoover had different ideas.


President Hoover "believed that society has a responsibility to care for those in need and that the prosperous should bear much of the burden" (Jones, Wood, Borstelmann, May, & Ruiz, 2011, p. 518). The president also favored "income taxes on the wealthy, with no tax burden on the poor" (Jones et al., 2011, p. 518). By "increasing spending for public works" and making "government credit available to banks and other financial institutions," the Depression worsened (Jones et al., 2011, p. 518). Perhaps one of President Hoover's biggest downfalls was believing that "the people must bear the burden and not expect miracles" (Warren,1967, p. 114).


By the 1932 election, Americans had grown weary of President Hoover's efforts and elected the Democratic nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt. Through his early-on efforts to increase Americans' trust in the banking system and personable and informative "fireside chats", President Roosevelt was able to introduce the New Deal, launching America into the Progressive Era.


References

A photo essay on the Great Depression. (n.d.). Modern american poetry. Retrieved September 20, 2010 from http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm

Jones, J., Wood, P., Borstelmann, T., May, E., Ruiz, V. (2011). Created equal: A
history of the United States combines volume. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Warren, H. (1967). Herbert Hoover and the great depression. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.