The Great Depression was the beginning of a terrible economic crisis in American history. On October 4, 1929, a day nicknamed “Black Tuesday,” the Wall Street stock market crashed, creating massive unemployment and suffering across America. Many thought this depression would only be minor, but they were wrong. This developed into a “major depression” (Who Built America? 392). Many lost their jobs and homes, and their farms, banks and factories were also closed. The Great Depression was a turning point in American history. Although the Depression created massive unemployment and drought in the Southern states shortly after the land was destroyed, President Frederick D. Roosevelt developed plans to get these people out of the hole they found themselves in. the assault on massive unemployment. Many Americans did not own stocks, but were affected nonetheless. Unemployment rose from just “500,000 to more than 4 million between October and December 1929” (Who Built America? 392). This caused enormous fear among the Americans. Between 1929 and 1933, many people lost their jobs at a rapid rate and the “gross national product fell by 29 percent” (Who Built America? 392). All these events led to the decline of certain cities. In an effort to help Americans, the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates low. This shows that the government has started to do things and help make an impact on their country. The Depression put a lot of strain on the banking system (Who Built America? 393). Banks were directly affected by the economic collapse, causing many to close. It is said that the Depression would have ended in the 1930s had it not been for the collapse of the international economic system (Who Built America? 39...... middle of paper ......RL, Third photo bottom), you can see a photo of “migrant workers” standing next to a sign from their community in which they live and work. This shows how even the youngest children were given work during this crisis. The Great Depression, like drought, hit America. really hard. The depression led to massive unemployment and bank failures, while the drought targeted family homes and agriculture, making it more difficult to grow crops in the Great Plains region for a time. These two events took a huge toll on the American people and forced the president to make difficult decisions about how to address these disasters. Although this had a negative effect on the United States, the pain was quickly eased thanks to the actions taken by President FDR, creating programs to get Americans out of this crisis. These events shaped America and inspired a nation to respect its leadership..