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Great Depression
The Great Depression is the longest and deepest downturn in the history of the United States and the modern industrial economy. It started when the Roaring Twenties came to an end. -
Black Thursday prompts the stock market crash
Black Thursday prompts the start of the stock market crash, which plunged the country and eventually the rest of the world into the depression. Immediately, the price of stocks drops by 11%, but with Wall Street bankers buying the stocks, only 2% was lost. -
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Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl is the name given to the southern plains region of the United States which suffered severe dust storms during a drought in the 1930s. -
Taxes and Drought
Taxes on 900 different imports are raised when President Hoover signs the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.
At the same time, a drought hits 23 states across the US. -
Food Riots
Food riots erupt in Minneapolis as people struggle to get food. Markets are broken into and all of the available food is stolen. -
Hatred towards foreign workers begins to surface
As unemployment continued, a lot of hatred towards foreign workers began to surface. Mexican Americans in Los Angeles were accused of stealing jobs from “true” Americans, and 6,024 were deported during this month. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected president
Democratic candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected president after defeating Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory. Roosevelt got 22,800,000 popular votes, compared to Hoover who got 15,750,000. -
First Hundred Days
President Roosevelt began his 'first hundred days' in office. 15 laws are quickly introduced to try and handle the great depression. Roosevelt creates the Emergency Banking Act. Many more acts were put in place, the Government Economy Act, the Federal Emergency Relief Act, the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the Emergency Farm Mortage Act, and more. These aim to create jobs, save farms, and build power stations. -
Gold price and Dust Storms
Gold price history changed when the Gold Reserve Act was introduced. The act doubled the price of gold and banned private ownership. Known as Black Sunday, the worst dust storm hits the United States. To help farmers learn how to work sustainably, President Roosevelt introduces the Soil Conservation Act -
The Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration is created by the Emergency Relief Appropriation, hiring 8.5 million people to help with the unemployment crisis. -
Roosevelt elected for second term and Heatwaves
President Roosevelt is elected for a second term. In the summer of 1936, 1,693 people were killed from heatstroke and 3500 more people drowned. -
The start of WWII
With the invasion of Poland by Hitler and the start of the Second World War, President Roosevelt persuaded Congress to remove the military arms embargo to France and Britain to support them during the war.