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fandomhigh2016-02-12 04:57 pm
heroic_jawline) wrote in fandomhigh2016-02-12 04:57 pm
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20th Century American History, Friday, February 12, 2016
"Now, I know you guys are probably way more interested in what you're wearing to the dance than to learning about American history today, but that's too bad," Steve said with a small smile, "because I'm paid to talk about history and not about dances. I can't even dance. Today we're gonna talk about the Great Depression."
Yes, there had been a Valentine's-related thought process there, but not one Steve was going to share with the class. "The stock market crashed in October of 1929, and it was one of the definitives events in 20th Century American history," he began. "On October 24, the stock market bubble finally burst, and investors began dumping shares en masse. A record 12.9 million shares were traded that day, known as Black Thursday. Five days later, on Black Tuesday some 16 million shares were traded after another wave of panic swept Wall Street. Millions of shares ended up worthless, and those investors who had bought stocks with borrowed money were wiped out completely. As consumer confidence vanished in the wake of the stock market crash, the downturn in spending and investment led factories and other businesses to slow down production and construction and begin firing their workers. For those who were lucky enough to remain employed, wages fell and buying power decreased. Many Americans forced to buy on credit fell into debt, and the number of foreclosures and repossessions climbed steadily. By 1930, 4 million Americans looking for work could not find it; that number had risen to 6 million in 1931. Meanwhile, the country’s industrial production had dropped by half. Bread lines, soup kitchens and rising numbers of homeless people became more and more common in America’s towns and cities. Farmers, who had been struggling with their own economic depression for much of the 1920s due to drought and falling food prices couldn’t afford to harvest their crops, and were forced to leave them rotting in the fields while people elsewhere starved."
Steve's smile was rueful. "I was 11 at the time. I remember the fallout in Brooklyn as people began moving in with family members who could still hold onto their apartments, and the Hoovertowns--named for the President and not in a flattering way--of shanties for people who'd been kicked out of their places."
He then went into depth about FDR and the New Deal, and how the fear in the country and around the world had led to extreme political movements, including the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. "That'll be important in a few weeks," he said. "But for today, let's talk more about the Depression and the New Deal. Oh, and I brought a snack for everyone. It's Lent, so meat's kind of out for me today but back during the '30s, we weren't eating a ton of meat anyway."
Unless Spam counted as meat? "My mom's secret vice were onion and Limburger cheese sandwiches, but out of respect for your noses and taste buds, I gave 'em a pass in favor of sugar sandwiches. It's butter, bread, and sugar, which was about a simple as it could get," he said. "I had 'em for lunch a lot. So did most of the kids I knew."
Now take your sandwiches and really let the Great Depression sink in, kids! Just in time for a holiday about love and indulgence!
Yes, there had been a Valentine's-related thought process there, but not one Steve was going to share with the class. "The stock market crashed in October of 1929, and it was one of the definitives events in 20th Century American history," he began. "On October 24, the stock market bubble finally burst, and investors began dumping shares en masse. A record 12.9 million shares were traded that day, known as Black Thursday. Five days later, on Black Tuesday some 16 million shares were traded after another wave of panic swept Wall Street. Millions of shares ended up worthless, and those investors who had bought stocks with borrowed money were wiped out completely. As consumer confidence vanished in the wake of the stock market crash, the downturn in spending and investment led factories and other businesses to slow down production and construction and begin firing their workers. For those who were lucky enough to remain employed, wages fell and buying power decreased. Many Americans forced to buy on credit fell into debt, and the number of foreclosures and repossessions climbed steadily. By 1930, 4 million Americans looking for work could not find it; that number had risen to 6 million in 1931. Meanwhile, the country’s industrial production had dropped by half. Bread lines, soup kitchens and rising numbers of homeless people became more and more common in America’s towns and cities. Farmers, who had been struggling with their own economic depression for much of the 1920s due to drought and falling food prices couldn’t afford to harvest their crops, and were forced to leave them rotting in the fields while people elsewhere starved."
Steve's smile was rueful. "I was 11 at the time. I remember the fallout in Brooklyn as people began moving in with family members who could still hold onto their apartments, and the Hoovertowns--named for the President and not in a flattering way--of shanties for people who'd been kicked out of their places."
He then went into depth about FDR and the New Deal, and how the fear in the country and around the world had led to extreme political movements, including the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. "That'll be important in a few weeks," he said. "But for today, let's talk more about the Depression and the New Deal. Oh, and I brought a snack for everyone. It's Lent, so meat's kind of out for me today but back during the '30s, we weren't eating a ton of meat anyway."
Unless Spam counted as meat? "My mom's secret vice were onion and Limburger cheese sandwiches, but out of respect for your noses and taste buds, I gave 'em a pass in favor of sugar sandwiches. It's butter, bread, and sugar, which was about a simple as it could get," he said. "I had 'em for lunch a lot. So did most of the kids I knew."
Now take your sandwiches and really let the Great Depression sink in, kids! Just in time for a holiday about love and indulgence!
Re: Eat sandwiches and ask questions!
Re: Eat sandwiches and ask questions!