Categorieën: Alle - malnutrition - unemployment - depression

door MATIAS SGUERA 3 jaren geleden

291

The human cost of the Depression

During the Great Depression, many American towns featured makeshift shantytowns known as Hoovervilles, where displaced migrants lived while seeking employment. These areas were marked by overcrowded rubbish tips as desperate families scavenged for food.

The human cost of the Depression

The human cost of the Depression

Unemployement in the USA, 1929-1933

1933
24,9% of unemployement

Representing 14 millions of unemployed people

1932
23,6% of unemployement

Representing 12,1 millions of unemployed people

1931
15,9% of unemployement

Representing 8 millions of unemployed people

1930
(Increased 3,5% in one year)
8,7% of unemployement

Representing 4.3 millions of unemployed people

1929
5,2% of unemployement

Representing 1.6 millions of unemployed people

Some of the ones who were the hardest hit were the people from the agricultural areas

Because of these many of them ended up living in the road
However, some of them organised themselves to resist banks seizing their homes

Some barricaded highways

For example, groups of farmers try to convince sheriffs to retire, and if they don't retire they use their pitchforks to throw them out.

This is because they came from a big crisis in the 20s

The towns

The rubbish tips were crowded with families
Hoping to scrape a meal from the leftovers of more fortunate people

Through 1931

Every town had a Hooverville
A shanty town of ramshackle huts

Where the migrants lived

While they searched for job

The situation was really bad
Unemployment increased fast

City workers were desperately searching for work

They lived with their realtives or in the streets

Lot of people could be seen seeking for food and work

Thousands of children were living in wagons or on tents next to the streets

People were force to sell their homes or kicked out because they couldn't pay the rent