What Were Some Of The Hardships That Children Faced During The Great Depression?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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To save money, families

neglected medical and dental care

. Many families sought to cope by planting gardens, canning food, buying used bread, and using cardboard and cotton for shoe soles. Despite a steep decline in food prices, many families did without milk or meat.

What hardships did children face during the Great Depression?

With the Great Depression, many families

lost their farms and migrated to urban areas in search of work and aid from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal government programs

. With record unemployment, children competed for jobs with their elders in an effort to make a contribution to their families.

What was the Great Depression for children?

For Kids – What was the Great Depression? The period from 1929 to 1941 was

a time when America’s economy was not working

. Many banks failed, many people lost their homes, and many farmers lost their farms. The Great Depression was worldwide, although it hit the USA the hardest and the longest.

What were some struggles during the Great Depression?

More important was the impact that it had on people’s lives: the Depression brought

hardship, homelessness, and hunger to millions

. THE DEPRESSION IN THE CITIES In cities across the country, people lost their jobs, were evicted from their homes and ended up in the streets.

What challenges did families face during the Great Depression?


Millions of families lost their savings as numerous banks collapsed

in the early 1930s. Unable to make mortgage or rent payments, many were deprived of their homes or were evicted from their apartments. Both working-class and middle-class families were drastically affected by the Depression.

What did families do to survive the Great Depression?

To save money, families

neglected medical and dental care

. Many families sought to cope by planting gardens, canning food, buying used bread, and using cardboard and cotton for shoe soles. Despite a steep decline in food prices, many families did without milk or meat.

What was life like for school children during the Great Depression?

Prior to the Great Depression, most children in rural, or countryside, areas attended school, but during the Great Depression, many schools closed,

leaving children without a school to attend

. The school buildings were often just one big room, and without any money to keep them fixed, some began to fall apart.

How were children’s lives affected by the Great Depression?

With unemployment rates at 25 percent, many families that had been middle-class during the 1920s slipped into poverty, contributing to rising incidence of

hunger and malnutrition

among children and adolescents. Psychological stress on adults resulted in domestic violence and child abuse.

What was life like during the Great Depression?

The average American family lived by the Depression-era motto: “

Use it up, wear it out

, make do or do without.” Many tried to keep up appearances and carry on with life as close to normal as possible while they adapted to new economic circumstances. Households embraced a new level of frugality in daily life.

How did the Great Depression affect child labor?

It would take the Great Depression to cause

a decrease in child labor

. High unemployment lead to jobs being filled by adults that were previously held by children. New machinery also played a part in cutting child labor.

What were the 7 Major causes of the Great Depression?

  • Irrational optimism and overconfidence in the 1920s.
  • 1929 Stock Market Crash.
  • Bank Closures and weaknesses in the banking system.
  • Overproduction of consumer goods.
  • Fall in demand and the purchase of consumer goods.
  • Bankruptcies and High levels of debt.
  • Lack of credit.

How did the Roaring 20s lead to the Great Depression?

For some, the Great Depression began in the 1920s. For some, the Great Depression began in the 1920s. In fact,

income inequality increased so much

during the 1920s, that by 1928, the top one percent of families received 23.9 percent of all pretax income. …

Who were the hardest hit by the Great Depression?

The country’s most vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, and those subject to discrimination, like

African Americans

, were the hardest hit. Most white Americans felt entitled to what few jobs were available, leaving African Americans unable to find work, even in the jobs once considered their domain.

Who did well during the Great Depression?

  • Babe Ruth. The Sultan of Swat was never shy about conspicuous consumption.
  • John Dillinger. …
  • Michael J. …
  • James Cagney. …
  • Charles Darrow. …
  • Howard Hughes. …
  • J. …
  • Gene Autry.

What happened during the Depression?

It began after

the stock market crash of October 1929

, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers.

What did people eat during the Great Depression?


Chili, macaroni and cheese, soups, and creamed chicken on biscuits

were popular meals. In the 70 or more years since the Great Depression, a lot has changed on the farms of rural America.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.