During the late 1920's and early 1930's, the United States was caught up in an enormous world wide depression. During these times many Americans lost their homes, their savings, and their livelihoods. As the stock market crashed in 1929, many businessmen and bankers found themselves standing in soup lines. The drought in the midwest left many farming families homeless.
The cities were hit hardest by the Great Depression, with many people out in the streets starving. But what was it like for people in a small, rural town? Elisabeth Dennet recalls her experience of living through one of America's worst economic crises. Living at home in a small New England town, she recalls the hardships of everyday life during the Great Depression.
Jon Acorn
I was in my 20's and living at home during what they called the Great Depression. I remember reading and hearing in the news one day about the great crash (Stock Market Crash of 1929). It was this crash that sent the American economy into the decline. Coming from a small rural New England town, things weren't too rough at the start. My brother and I worked - my brother at the Cordage Company of Plymouth, and I at home on the farm. We didn't have many food expenses, for the farm provided most everything we needed. Most everyone had their own gardens., and everyone helped each other. There were many services and organizations set up in town and other surrounding communities to help out with food, clothes and entertainment. One such organization in Plympton was the Grange. The Grange helped people raise food, and provided fun entertainment without spending any money. The Grange also helped the farmers to cooperate and work together.
We used the bags that we bought grain in, for material to make clothes out of. Every bag had a different pattern on them, ranging from flowers to animal designs. Although life was difficult in the rural country, life in the cities was even harsher. I had a friend who was a banker, and when the stock crash happened, he and his family were left with nothing. Fortunately, he had a summer cottage in Plympton, and he and his family were able to support themselves on the small farm they owned. This seemed to be a trend - many families from the cities began to move out into the country where they could self-support themselves by growing their own victory gardens.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt seemed to be very popular in town even though we were primarily a Republican town. He set up organizations around the country to help people survive the depression. The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) started by the President made wells to pump water for the fire engines in town. Government camps and labor organizations were also set up to help the unemployed. Working in these programs you could earn enough money to support your family, and at the same time, help develop the town's land. As time went on, things began to straighten out as the economy began to come around. Although the depression didn't effect me and my family as much as the city dwellers, things had still been rough. As jobs and industry began to grow and come back, many moved back into the cities where they could find the work they needed. As World War Two began, job opportunities increased and the economy regained its momentum.
Elisabeth Dennett
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