Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

As you read about how people coped with hard times, use the headings below to summarize the Great Depression’s effects on various aspects of American life.

Employment:
People all over the country were losing their jobs.

Housing:
Because of unemployment, many people were being evicted from their homes, and the amount of homeless people in the country significantly rose. People either lived on the streets or they built little shacks out of scrap materials for shelter. 

 Farming:Although farmers had the advantage of being able to grow their own food, many lost their land due to falling prices and rising debt. Therefore many farmers went to tenant farming to just barely make a living. Farmers were also heavily hit by the drought in the early 1930s, and many moved west because of dust storms and evictions.

 Race relations :African Americans had even higher unemployment rates, and were paid less. During the Depression, due to whites who were also competing for jobs, racism towards African Americans was stronger. In fact, 24 African Americans died by lynching in 1933. 
Latinos also dealt with more intense racism due to job competition with whites. Many wanted them to be deported. Some Latinos voluntarily moved to Mexico, others were forced by the Federal Government.  

Family life :Family was highly valued during the Great Depression, it was a symbol of strength and unity during hard times. Because of the tight budget, many families would stay home and play games together for entertainment. But, due to the stress of the Depression and the struggles to make ends meet, some families did break apart. 

 Physical health :Many were dying of starvation during the Great Depression. There was also a rise in the amount of people with malnutrition and diet-related diseases such as rickets.  

Emotional health :
Many people lost their will to survive during the Great Depression because of how demoralizing the hard times were. Suicide rates rose, and admissions to mental hospitals tripled. People gained saving habits as well, and many gave up their life goals and focused on maintaining financial stability instead. Despite these things, generosity was abundant among communities, and people commonly helped out others in need and shared with neighbors.  

Explain or define each of the following:

 Dust bowl-the region of America that was hardest hit by the drought. It included parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.

Shantytowns-little towns made of shacks. They popped up due to the amount of homeless people during the Depression who made shelters out of scraps.

Direct Relief-cash payments or food provided by the government to the poor.