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This video explains what life was like for typical families in the Great Depression. This panel was important for me to include in the exhibition, because it gives a realistic look into the realities of many families in the great depression.

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This is a picture illustrating a family picture of a family with four children. This is a typical depiction of a farmer's family.

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The Great Depression (1929-1939) was the worst economic downturn in modern history. The preceding decade, known as the " Roaring Twenties," was a time of relative affluence for many middle- and working-class families. As the economy boomed, new innovations allowed for more leisure time and the creation of a consumer society. But the economic depression that followed those boon years profoundly affected the daily life of American families, in ways large and small.

Even the affluent faced severe belt-tightening.

Four years after the 1929 stock market crash, during the bleakest point of the Great Depression, about a quarter of the U.S. workforce was unemployed. Those that were lucky enough to have steady employment often saw their wages cut or their hours reduced to part-time.

Even upper-middle-class professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, saw their incomes drop by as much as 40 percent. Families who had previously enjoyed economic security suddenly faced financial instability or, in some cases, ruin.

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. They kept kitchen gardens, patched worn-out clothes and passed on trips to the movies as they privately struggled to retain ownership of a home or automobile.

Potlucks and 'thrift gardens' were the norm.

Women's magazines and radio shows taught Depression-era homemakers how to stretch their food budget with casseroles and one-pot meals. Favorites included chili, macaroni and cheese, soups, and chipped beef on toast.

Potlucks, often organized by churches, became a popular way to share food and a cheap form of social entertainment.

Many families strived for self-sufficiency by keeping small kitchen gardens with vegetables and herbs. Some towns and cities allowed for the conversion of vacant lots into community "thrift gardens" where residents could grow food.

Between 1931 and 1932, Detroit's thrift garden program provided food for about 20,000 people. Experienced gardeners could be seen helping former office workers-still dressed in white button-down shirts and slacks-to cultivate their plots.

Board games and miniature golf courses thrived.

The average American family didn't have much extra income to spend on leisure activities during the 1930s. Before the Depression, going to the movie theater was a major pastime. Fewer Americans could afford this luxury after the stock market crashed-so more than one-third of the cinemas in America closed between 1929 and 1934.

Often, people chose to spend time at home. Neighbors got together to play cards, and board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly-both introduced during the 1930s-became popular.

The radio also provided a free form of entertainment. By the early 1930s, many middle-class families owned a home radio. Comedy programs such as Amos 'n' Andy, soap operas, sporting events and swing music distracted listeners from everyday struggles.

Mini-golf became a Depression-era craze. More than 30,000 miniature golf links sprang up across the country during the 1930s. Prices ranged from 25 to 50 cents per round.

Women entered the workforce in increasing numbers.

Some families maintained a middle-class income by adding an extra wage earner. Despite widespread unemployment during the Depression years, the number of married women in the workforce actually increased.

Some people criticized married women for taking jobs when so many men were out of work, though women often took clerical or service industry positions that weren't seen as socially acceptable for men at the time.

Women found work as secretaries, teachers, telephone operators and nurses. But in many cases, employers paid women workers less than their male counterparts.

Families on government support were less stigmatized.

The New Deal programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt meant the expansion of government into people's everyday lives after 1933. Many Americans received some level of financial aid or employment as a result of New Deal programs.

Prior to the Great Depression, most Americans had negative views of government welfare programs and refused to go on welfare. In some towns, local newspapers published the names of welfare recipients.

While attitudes toward government assistance began to change during the Great Depression, going on welfare was still viewed as a painful and humiliating experience for many families.

Economic hardship caused family breakdowns.

The stress of financial strain took a psychological toll-especially on men who were suddenly unable to provide for their families. The national suicide rate rose to an all-time high in 1933.

Marriages became strained, though many couples could not afford to separate. Divorce rates dropped during the 1930s though abandonments increased. Some men deserted their families out of embarrassment or frustration: This was sometimes called a "poor man's divorce."

It's estimated that more than two million men and women became traveling hobos. Many of these were teens who felt they had become a burden on their families and left home in search of work.

Riding the rails-illegally hopping on freight trains-became a common, yet dangerous way to travel. Those traveling the country in search of work often camped in " Hoovervilles," shantytowns named after Herbert Hoover, president during the early years of the Great Depression.

Crime was mythologized, but this was largely hype.

Famous outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde went on a two-year bank robbing spree across America, while in New Jersey, famous aviator Charles Lindbergh 's toddler son was abducted, held for ransom and then murdered.

High-profile events like these, broadcast through radio announcements and in newspaper headlines, contributed to a sense of lawlessness and crime in the Great Depression, stoking fears that hard times had created a crime wave. But this was more hype than reality.

Violent crimes initially spiked during the first few years of the Great Depression, but nationwide, rates of homicides and violent crimes began to fall sharply between 1934 and 1937-a downward trend that continued until the 1960s.

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Life for the Average Family During the Great Depression | HISTORY

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The Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in modern history, profoundly affected the daily life of American families in ways large and small.

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This is a painting, the artist is unknown, of a grandmother comforting her granddaughter. This painting is extremely important, because it illustrates a different type of family, who are also suffering.

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iStock Poor Grandmother And Grandchild Stock Illustration - Download Image Now - 19th Century, 19th Century Style, Homelessness

Download this Poor Grandmother And Grandchild vector illustration now. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free vector art that features 19th Century graphics available for quick and easy download.Product #:gm182897030 $33.00 iStock In stock

Vintage engraving from 1876 of a homeless grandmother looking after her granddaughter while live rough on the streets of victorian London.

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Vintage engraving from 1876 of a homeless grandmother looking after her granddaughter while live rough on the streets of victorian London.

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Vintage engraving from 1876 of a homeless grandmother looking after...

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Download this Poor Grandmother And Grandchild vector illustration now. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free vector art that features 19th Century graphics available for quick and easy download.

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Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

This is a poem written by a sons for his mother in his mothers point of view. The poem states to the son that mothers life hasn't been very easy. This poem is very relatable for many mother at this time doing through hard times and not being able to properly explain this to their children.

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This is a line graph showing the peek of unemployment to be in the 1930s, in the Great Depression. This also meant for many families that they were losing their jobs. The lose of jobs for families was extremely tragic as these families had many members to feed and cloth. This panel is important, because it shows the peek in unemployment in the US, which many families suffered under.

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This political cartoon illustrates many men pointing at president Hoover who is in the middle working at a desk, around him it says “Blame it on Hoover”. Many families agreed with this statement, that Hoover was the one to blame for their financial problems. I chose to include this into my exhibition, because it shows the strong believes of many families.

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https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/108f5f3b-6228-4e38-ae00-9b3fefdca725/taking-care-of-farm-and-family-during-the-great-depression/

This video follows the story of Verana Grant Johnson taking care of the farm and family during the depression. She and her family were greatly affected by the great depression and had to work hard to keep their farm going and enough food on the table. Her siblings and her had to work very hard and also continued to enforce this on their own children. This is an important video showing the conditions of a traditional family.

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Taking Care of Farm and Family During the Great Depression | The People in the Pictures | PBS LearningMedia

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Find out how the Great Depression made farm life even more difficult while many rural families found creative solutions to their problems in this video from Iowa Public Television. As the Great Depression began, what was a challenging life on the farm became more difficult.

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This is a picture of three young children. All are dressed in thin clothing and having no shoes on. Many families could not afford to dress their children in well made clothing and shoes. This is important to show the sacrifices families had to make, even children, to save money for food.

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The photo shows a migrant worker, his young wife, and four children resting outside their temporary lodgings in California. These were the conditions for many families due to the sacrifices they made for their jobs.

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This photo was taken outside of Perryton, Texas in 1936.  The man in the picture was a professional laborer who, with his wife and children, migrated around the U.S. in search of work and to avoid the Dust Bowl.