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The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1939, and was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. It began afterthe stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors.

Families were driven out of the once fertile great plains by massive dust clouds–one that rose to 10,000 feet and reached as far as New York City.

The Dust Bowl refers to the drought-stricken Southern Plains region of the United States, which suffered severe dust storms during a dry period in the 1930s. As high winds and choking dust swept the region from Texas to Nebraska, people and livestock were killed and crops failed across the entire region. 

The Dust Bowl intensified the crushing economic impacts of the Great Depression and drove many farming families on a desperate migration in search of work and better living conditions.

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/thegreatdepression/thedustbowl

“By the mid-1930s, state and federal governments also were operating them. Soup kitchensserved mostly soup and bread.Soup was economical because water could be added to serve more people, if necessary. At the outset of the Depression, Al Capone, the notorious gangster from Chicago, established the firstsoup kitchenDepression-era Soup Kitchens – United States American History
http://www.u-s-history.com › pages

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The Affect of the Great Depression on Children


by Emily Wang

A Soup Line (Notice the Kids in Front)
        During the Great Depression, children suffered a lot. They no longer had the joys and freedoms of childhood, and often shared their parents’ burdens and issues on money. For Christmas and birthdays, very few children were able to have fancy toy. Some families made gifts themselves, but many others could not afford food at all. For most people, the only way to celebrate holidays with gifts, were to window-shop. Since children lacked food, they often suffered from malnutrition.

        Sometimes, children left home. They either did not want to burden their families,were tired of their boring and poor living, or just wanted an adventure. Some left with their families’ blessings, but others escaped from the house overnight. Most of them traveled on boxcars, sections of trains, and helped each other. They shared routes, tips, and information. Children got on boxcars after trains started moving, so it was very possible for them to get injured if they missed their footing. In one case, a northern white boy, who had heard of segeration, but had not experienced it, helped on another, near midnight. They talked through the night of their exciting adventure, and when daybreak came, the boy realized his friend was African-American.
        If a person was caught riding a boxcar, he or she would be taken off it, and depending on state rule, possibly punished. Some states were cruel, sentecing community labor, and others were nicer, letting the person stay overnight with food supply. In between, were states that just escorted the person to  the state border, and telling them to never return again. Girls also were travelers. Some disguised themselves as boys, but some found advantages as being a girl. Some nice people would give girls the food and board they could offer that would not be given to boys.
        Children of the Great Depression suffered heavily physically, with diseases like malnutrion, but even more suffered mentally, knowing that in a split second, within the blink of an eye, their lives might just change.

Source:http://informationgreatdepression.weebly.com/affect-on-children.html