The Great Depression was the worst economic slump
ever in U.S. history, and one which spread to virtually all of the
industrialized world. The depression began in late 1929 and lasted for about a
decade. Many factors played a role in bringing about the depression; however,
the main cause for the Great Depression was the combination of the greatly
unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920's, and the extensive stock
market speculation that took place during the latter part that same decade. The
mal-distribution of wealth in the 1920's existed on many levels. Money was
distributed disparately between the rich and the middle-class, between industry
and agriculture within the United States, and between the U.S. and Europe. This
imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy. The excessive speculation in
the late 1920's kept the stock market artificially high, but eventually lead to
large market crashes. These market crashes, combined with the mal-distribution
of wealth, caused the American economy to capsize. ("The Main Causes
of the Great Depression")
During the Great Depression, the phrase "Brother, can you spare a
dime," came to epitomize the indignity and hopelessness many Americans felt
about unemployment and their inability to sustain themselves. Americans had
suffered the stock market crash; the middle class had lost their jobs and homes;
meanwhile, farmers in Texas and Oklahoma had been forced to flee the Dust Bowl.
Thousands of Americans were unemployed and homeless. But Americans did
persevere, regain their dignity, and work its way out of the Depression.
Read
more about the Great Depression:
The
Depression News
Main
Causes of the Great Depression
New
Deal
Roll
of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mildred
D. Taylor
Cassie
Logan and her family are determined not to surrender their independence or to
lose their land.
Cassie has grown up protected, strong, and unaware that any white person
could consider her inferior or to force her to be untrue to herself.
The events of one year turn Cassie’s world upside down as she faces
being a black among whites.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry takes place in 1933, when the Great
Depression is at its worst.
Cassie, must deal with all the events and attempt to sort out her place
in this world.
The novel concludes with Cassie still searching, but with the help of her
strong and caring family, it seems as though she will rise above the indignities
of the segregated society.
Activity
1
State
of Mississippi Official Site
Mississippi
Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Mississippi
Facts
Assignment
Stock
Market
