Great Depression

1. What kinds of hardships did children and teenagers suffer during the Great Depression?
Without proper nutrition for kids, many got disease. There was just not enough money to make ends meet for them. Also, without enough budgeting going towards schools, many schools had shorter days of learning or even closed down. For kids, they lost a huge education. It was common for many kids to be out working instead of school causing the that percentage to drop even more. For teenagers, they could not bare to live at home, and would commonly run away and jump on freight train in hopes of finding work of their own somewhere in another part of the state or a different state. They wanted an adventure and wanted to escape poverty. Even though this seemed like a solution, it was not the best choice they had made.

2. How did Men struggle with it?
Most men felt destroyed. They no longer could work, and dealt with the guilt of not upholding a manly image. They lost their jobs, their pride, their ability to care for their families and losing them as well. Most of all, these men lost their dignity. They would have to beg or wait endlessly in lines for food. Even more so, men would go hunting for jobs, and would get no where. Some even left their families to find work across the country.

3. What about Women? What was unique about their struggle?
Women almost worked harder then men, when it came to home living. They would can food up to last longer, or sew clothes together instead of buying them. Some even took care of the money, and did everything in their power to budget it correctly. Many women also worked outside the home, except for the fact that they were payed less then men. Some folks believed it was wrong for women to be employed instead of men in the first place. Some believed that women had it easy during the depression, but in all reality, they were sacrificing just as much as men. Starving themselves to death to feed others to opening up as much room as possible in their home to help others.

What LONG LASTING effects did the Great Depression have on the personality our society?
The fact that going through the depression was bad enough, and living through was difficult, some found it better to just end it. Many people committed suicide because they had no hope in living through those times, others had a hard time following their dreams. People put off dream jobs, college opportunities, and even making a family. Most people were focused on one thing, and that was to be wealthy again. Nothing else mattered to most. Even though a lot has changed since then, a few things remained. People would help those in need, even strangers. People helped people, the kindness of humanity remained through the hardship.