- Time Period
- 1929  - 1939
- Description
- The collapse of the stock market on Black Friday -- Oct. 29, 1929 -- heralded widespread economic devastation in the United States and the rest of the world. The causes of the Great Depression were many: from overproduction and deflation to speculation on Wall Street and an economy still fragile from World War I. The effects were deep: 20 percent unemployment and a 30 percent decline in gross domestic product. A report from Catholic Charities in New York described three to four families crowded into a tenement and 'the haunting fear that while today is bad tomorrow may be worse.'The economy began to rebound in 1933. This was aided by a series of programs enacted by Congress and President Franklin Roosevelt called the New Deal, providing relief for the poor, rebuilding the economy and reforming the financial system. The economy did not fully recover until America entered World War II.
- Interactive Timeline(s)
- Prominent Religious Events and People in American History Social Movements and Religion Religious Minorities (Non-Christian) Race/Ethnicity and Religion Women and Religion Baptist Religious Events and People in American History Catholic Religious Events and People in American History Methodist Religious Events and People in American History Presbyterian Religious Events and People in American History
- Photographs
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Migrant mother- Library of Congress, LC-DIG-fsa-8b29516
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Unemployed men queued in front of a depression soup kitchen- National Archives and Records Administration
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Farmer and sons walking through a dust storm- Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-4840
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President Roosevelt signing New Deal legislation- Library of Congress, LC-DIG-hec-47561
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Shacks and unemployed- New York Public Library Digital Collections
- Web Source(s)
- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/243118/Great-Depression Encyclopedia Britannica, "Great Depression"
- http://www.U-S-history.com
- Web Page Contributor
- Sandi Dolbee Affliated with: Former Religion and Ethics Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune