Bust: Many people during the Great Depression found an escape of their trouble through out music. No matter how close the music business came to collapsing Jazz was still and interest to the people, so Black Americans continues to express themselves.

Impact of Great Depression

The great depression impacted the life of Americans in many ways. It affected many minorities and even people who believed to be doing well in America. The tragedy over all affected the country as a whole and was a large change from the 20s. During the 20s the farming industry was struggling extremely because of the demand for products were no longer demanded and their was a surplus. The farmers could do nothing but sell there products for very cheap. While people in rural areas were endured in struggling times, people in urban areas were exceeding. The consumerism went up because people could now buy on credit, get now and pay later. The demand for new innovative manufactured products are going up. This caused the growth of the industry to also rise. Everyone was also buying on stock because it kept ascending until Black Tuesday when it crashed. This was one of the causes of the Great depression. In the 30s businesses went bankrupt which lead to many being unemployed. When the people were unemployed many could not pay for their houses and were evicted. This also continued to occur in rural America. Government continued to foreclose farms. When they think things couldn’t get worse, the the drought started. The drought, or the dust bowl, caused the farming economy to hit an extreme low. President Hoover did not help much with the economy because he believed in a Laissez Faire, or hands off policy. Government finally started interfering with the the economy when FDR was elected into office and he made the New Deal. He attempted to help try to fix the horrible situation of the the great depression but, most of their programs targeted unemployed White men, not other minorities that suffered more. Blacks were continued to be shut out or received extreme low pay and many Mexicans were deported so that the white unemployed men could have more of a chance of getting a job opportunity. Two things that continued from the transition of the 20s to the 30s was that women worked in the decade before and after and African Americans were continued to be oppressed. Two things that changed was that the meaning of why women started working changed. Women in the 30s were now working to be able to provide for their families and in the 20s were working for independence. The next thing that changed was that in the 20s the African Americans had more job opportunities, even though it was not equal, then in the 30s. In the 30s people of all different backgrounds suffered during the depression, the unemployment rate was definitely higher for blacks compared to whites because they were laid off first.

Because of the economy being a rough spot this affected the home life. During the 20s home life for women was newly found easier. The increase of inventions was the cause for the effortlessness. This changed extremely in the 30s. In this following decade the women's role in the household was enhanced with importance. Women had to do things while using less money. They patched clothing and made their own bread. This was the form of “making-do.” This also occurred through Mexican immigrants. During the 20s Mexicans were doing well in America. They were wealthy and their health was good. When the 30s started they were not doing as well. The ones that remained in America and that were not deported found temporarily placed in migrant camps. One thing that continued through the two decades was the role of the women working in homes. Two things that changed was that women had to save a lot more while in the home and Mexicans went to poverty.

During the 20s because of the new inventions that were made increased leisure time for Women. Women became incredibly independent and spent their free time clubbing, drinking, and going on dates. Women who did this were often called flappers or the new generation of women. They were very flamboyant and scandalous. This new women came to an end when the 30s arrived. They had less leisure time to do the things they desired , but one thing that remained popular was the radio. Also African Americans during the 20s were finally expressing themselves through out different forms of art like music and writing. One of the famous communities is the Harlem Renaissance which is known for its artists. During the 30s the demand for art was not as desired, but one thing that was an escape for people wass Jazz. The music industry definitely went down, but Jazz was still adored so African Americans continued to play.

The great Depression over all was a time of despair and hopelessness and impacted a large majority of the people living in America.