The contrasting experiences of Clifford Burke and Jane Yoder, as depicted in Studs Terkels Oral History of the Great Depression, give people today an insight into the various challenges faced by ordinary Americans during the Great Depression. Intro The Great Depression of the 1930s left a major mark on American society and impacted individuals and families everywhere. Studs Terkel's Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, offers a glimpse into some of the lives of ordinary Americans who lived through it. Among the voices captured in these oral histories are Clifford Burke and Jane Yoder. These two people shared their contrasting experiences, which shed light on the diverse challenges faced by individuals during this unruly time. …show more content…
In his oral history Burke starts off saying, “The Negro was born in depression,” (Burke, Hard Times, 82). This in itself is a powerful statement, as Burke is essentially saying he saw no difference in the quality of life during the Great Depression, or after it. This really showed off his mindset during the Great Depression going into his statement and how it wasn’t anything completely new to him. He discussed how the Great Depression came to light only when it “hit the white man,” saying that the Great Depression only became glorified when white men had to start living life the way black men had for many years. Burke, Hard Times, 82. Burke talks about one big advantage for him was how his wife could go to the store and pick up the bare minimum to eat, such as beans, and he wouldn't be complaining whereas a white man that's making more money couldn't get away with that in his household. Burke cracked a few jokes throughout his statement, saying if a white man brought home beans to his family, his wife would say, “Get …show more content…
She talked about how she would vomit when she had a cold just so her mother would bring her the “good things” referring to oranges and bananas. She recalls, “you almost looked forward to the day you could throw up..dreaming about oranges and bananas.” (Yoder, Hard Times, 86). For her family, hunger took a huge toll on her family, especially when they became ill with the lack of warmth. Unlike Burke, her father was, “immediately employed in this WPA,” (Works Progress Administration), and how that was a, “godsend,” for her and her family. She made a point to mention how, “that was the greatest thing because it meant food, which in turn meant survival.” Yoder recalls the many other people who referred to those with WPA as, “lazy.. Shovel learners,” and she would sit silent knowing her family had no other respectable employment as an option. (Yoder, Hard Times, 86-87). This is a point that completely contrasts with how Burke viewed the New Deal program. She found that this program was basically equivalent to survival. Conclusion In Conclusion, the contrasting experiences of Clifford Burke and Jane Yoder offer valuable insights into the multifaceted impact of the Great Depression on American
Biles describes each of these programs, their purpose, how they were developed, and how they operated. He then goes into analyzing each of these programs pointing out their strengths and weaknesses and how they affected the economy individually. “For all it did, the New Deal could have done much more” (115). Biles felt that after analyzing these relief programs, they didn’t do nearly enough to boost the economy, supporting his view with the unemployment rate dropping from 19.1% in 1938 to 14.6& in 1940 (226). The programs did help many people but their were also many Americans who received no
The Great Depression is a sad era of United States History. The Great Depression was a massive economic depression. It affected many people’s lives across the United States. People’s lifestyles changed dramatically going into the Great Depression. There were many factors that caused the Great Depression.
The Great Depression tested America’s political organizations like no other event in United States’ history except the Civil War. The most famous explanations of the period are friendly to Roosevelt and the New Deal and very critical of the Republican presidents of the 1920’s, bankers, and businessmen, whom they blame for the collapse. However, Amity Shlaes in her book, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, contests the received wisdom that the Great Depression occurred because capitalism failed, and that it ended because of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Shlaes, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a syndicated financial columnist, argues that government action between 1929 and 1940 unnecessarily deepened and extended the Great Depression.
Franklin Roosevelt said, “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on,” and it directly relates to the Great Depression. People thought that because of this huge downturn that they would not survive but they had to “tie a knot in their rope,” and continue to try and survive. The great depression was a time of horror and failure. The giant Stock Market crashes of the 1930’s triggered this major blow to the nations economy. This major devastation also leads many families into terrible poverty. In the movie Cinderella Man the main character Jim Braddock went through a ton of devastating events in his family during this time. Jim is an easy person to relate to and we see in the movie what his life was like during this time, which was like a lot of other average Americans during the depression. Even though American hasn’t had another economic disaster quit like the Great Depression year 2010 is having many similarities to the 1930’s and if we don’t start to try to change around the economy we soon will have a world of economic disaster too.
The Great Depression was one of the greatest challenges that the United States faced during the twentieth century. It sidelined not only the economy of America, but also that of the entire world. The Depression was unlike anything that had been seen before. It was more prolonged and influential than any economic downturn in the history of the United States. The Depression struck fear in the government and the American people because it was so different. Calvin Coolidge even said, "In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope—nothing of man." People were scared and did not know what to do to address the looming economic crash. As a result of the Depression’s seriousness and severity, it took unconventional methods to fix the economy and get it going again. Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration had to think outside the box to fix the economy. The administration changed the role of the government in the lives of the people, the economy, and the world. As a result of the abnormal nature of the Depression, the FDR administration had to experiment with different programs and approaches to the issue, as stated by William Lloyd Garrison when he describes the new deal as both assisting and slowing the recovery. Some of the programs, such as the FDIC and works programs, were successful; however, others like the NIRA did little to address the economic issue. Additionally, the FDR administration also created a role for the federal government in the everyday lives of the American people by providing jobs through the works program and establishing the precedent of Social Security...
As the United States became engulfed in the hardships of the Great Depression, a controversy regarding the Federal Government’s involvement with charity and relievement of suffering became apparent. Was it the Government’s responsibility to aid in relieving Americans of such misery? Or, was it the job of the People to work together to reach a solution? An analysis of the two presidents who took turn in office during the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover, reveals their opposing perspectives and philosophies regarding this controversy, and subsequently, Roosevelt’s and Hoover’s contradicting views played a fundamental role in America’s rise out of the Great Depression and the nature of government in today’s society.
However, for the worst affected, the most difficult effect on morale must have been the lifelong memory of seeing their children and family suffer, and having no power to change this. For the lack of power to change the future is the exact opposite of the ‘American Dream’. References: Prosperity, Depression and The New Deal, Peter Clements, 2001, Hodder and Stoughton, London Letters To The Roosevelts, various authors, date and publisher unknown An Editor Loses His Job In The Great Depression, Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, Studs Terkel, 1978, Pantheon Books. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? , Jay Gorney, 1932, Warner Bros. Music The Great Depression, Mc Elvaine R., 1984, Times Books, New York
The New Deal did not notably benefit the majority of people. Walter Procter, in a letter to FDR, wrote, “The American worker – manual or brain – is not a dumb brutalized self. He is a man…why should ‘opportunity’ mean only opportunity for ...
During the 1920’s, America was a prosperous nation going through the “Big Boom” and loving every second of it. However, this fortune didn’t last long, because with the 1930’s came a period of serious economic recession, a period called the Great Depression. By 1933, a quarter of the nation’s workers (about 40 million) were without jobs. The weekly income rate dropped from $24.76 per week in 1929 to $16.65 per week in 1933 (McElvaine, 8). After President Hoover failed to rectify the recession situation, Franklin D. Roosevelt began his term with the hopeful New Deal. In two installments, Roosevelt hoped to relieve short term suffering with the first, and redistribution of money amongst the poor with the second. Throughout these years of the depression, many Americans spoke their minds through pen and paper. Many criticized Hoover’s policies of the early Depression and praised the Roosevelts’ efforts. Each opinion about the causes and solutions of the Great Depression are based upon economic, racial and social standing in America.
The Great Depression America 1929-1941 by Robert S. McElvaine covers many topics of American history during the "Great Depression" through 1941. The topic that I have selected to compare to the text of American, Past and Present, written by Robert A. Divine, T.H. Breen, George M. Frederickson and R. Hal Williams, is Herbert Hoover, the thirty-first president of the United States and America's president during the horrible "Great Depression".
Essentially, the New Deal did not work to include and employ as many people as it could or should have, even excluding major population types from any possible benefit from the programs. It failed to provide hard-working citizens with a steady job and food to eat. This question of whether or not the New Deal was a success has a substantial significance. If any country goes into a economic collapse like one of the Great Depression, one could use America’s experience as an example as to what steps should or should not be taken though such a time. Afterall, the importance of studying history is to learn from mistakes made in the
The years berween 1929 and 1933 were trying years for people throughout the world. Inflation was often so high money became nearly worthless. America had lost the prosperity it had known during the 1920's. America was caught in a trap of a complete meltdown of economy, workers had no jobs simply because it cost too much to ship the abundance of goods being produced. This cycle was unbreakable, and produced what is nearly universally recognized as the greatest economic collapse of all times. These would be trying years for all, but not every American faced the same challenges and hardships. (Sliding 3)
"Everyday Life 1929-1941." Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. Ed. Richard C. Hanes and Sharon M. Hanes. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 305-329. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Franklin Roosevelt’s “optimism and activism that helped restore the badly shaken confidence of the nation” (pg. 467 Out of Many), was addressed in the New Deal, developed to bring about reform to the American standard of living and its low economy. It did not only make an impact during the Great Depression. Although, many of the problems addressed in the New Deal might have been solved, those with the long lasting effect provide enough evidence to illustrate how great a success the role of the New Deal played out in America’s history to make it what it is today.
The Great Depression was the deepest and longest-lasting economic downfall in the history of the United Sates. No event has yet to rival The Great Depression to the present day today although we have had recessions in the past, and some economic panics, fears. Thankfully the United States of America has had its shares of experiences from the foundation of this country and throughout its growth many economic crises have occurred. In the United States, the Great Depression began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors ("The Great Depression."). In turn from this single tragic event, numerous amounts of chain reactions occurred.