TEN MAJOR EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE UNITED STATES.
Over time instances occurred throughout history that affected the United States, for the good and bad. They affected many people emotionally and physically. The following ten events have affected the nation culturally, politically, economically, socially, and diplomatically. .
The ten events are a visual aspect of the how the nation evolved into what it is today. Without the events occurring, we may never have the materials that we do today. These events are listed in order of importance from most to least.
Great Depression:.
The minds of others changed when the Great Depression occurred. It took millions by .
storm and everyone suffered from it. The Wall Street stock market crash of 1929 precipitated the .
Great Depression; The worst economic downturn in the history of the nation. The depression had .
devastating effects on the country. The stock market was in shambles. Many banks couldn't .
continue to operate. Farmers fell into bankruptcy. A quarter of the working force or 13 million .
people were unemployed in 1932, and this was only the beginning (Encarta Encyclopedia). The .
depression lasted over a decade, with hundreds of thousands of Americans losing their jobs, .
businesses failing, and financial institutions collapsing.
At the time of the Great Depression, government intervention in the .
economy was higher than it had ever been and a special government agency had been set up .
specifically to prevent depressions and their associated problems, such as bank panics. This .
agency was the Federal Reserve Board and it was to have been the loaner of last resorts for banks .
in order to prevent collapses as had happened during earlier depressions. .
The Watergate Scandal:.
The Watergate Scandal was a series of crimes committed by President Nixon and his staff members who were found to of spied on and harassed political opponents, accepted illegal campaign contributions, and covered up their own misdeeds.