Since its coming into being, the United States has been seen as a haven of hope and prosperity to millions around the world. When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth they brought with them a faith and a hope that drove them to persevere in the New World. Over two centuries have come and gone and America is still the melting pot of the world, where potential is realized, and where prosperity can be found in abundance for those who work hard for it. Even though America is the richest nation in the world today there have been times when it experienced economic hardship and personal suffering. The Roaring 20s saw Americas economy doing well and its citizens living the high life, and defining what was the American Dream. As 1930 approached neither the country nor the people saw the clouds rolling in, nor did they have the notion that the life of plenty would suddenly come to an end for millions of the masses. The Great Depression would come and take the U.S. and the world by storm, leaving ruin and despair in its wake. This paper will discuss the causes of the Great Depression, first-hand accounts of those dark times, and how America came through those troubling times.
October 29, 1929 is the day that began Americas descent into the Great Depression. This day is often referred to as Black Tuesday. This is when the sky and bottom seemed to fall at the same time. On that day the stock market crashed and it would be one of the main contributing factors that would trigger the Great Depression. However, before this fateful day there were .
signs that things were not what they seemed. Behind the scenes there were things going on that would cause the market to crash. Ordinary people who had put their money in the bank were having it invested in the stock market without their knowledge. There were others who had begun to buy stocks on margin in the belief that prices would go higher and higher and they would become rich.
