THE GREAT
DEPRESSION
By Char Emerson & Amy Ngo
OBJECTIVES
 Impact on Washington State
 Definition
 Causes
 Effects
WHAT IS THE GREAT
DEPRESSION?
The Great Depression was a
worldwide economic collapse.
 The Stock Market crashed due to
CAUSES
banks recklessly investing in stocks
 Deflation which caused consumers
to purchase less
 The Smoot-Hawley Tariff with
Europe charged higher taxes to protect
American companies resulted in
decrease in trades.
People rushed to collect all their
money at the stock market
EFFECTS OF THE GREAT
DEPRESSION
 9,000 banks failed which is about 10 times more than the average
 Unemployment rate reached about 25%
 The deflation rate was as high as 11.5%
 The real exports dropped as much as 21% due to the tariff
STATISTICS
 Started on Tuesday, October 19,1929
 By 1933, about 13 to 15 million people were unemployed & about
50% of the banks went out of business
 Homeless people built homes out of scrap lumber, metal, and
cardboard called “Hoovervilles”
 Lasted about 11 years
 An average of 600 banks failed each year
ANECDOTES
 “We wore clothes made out of material from old clothes. We put cardboard
in our shoes, and when they wore out we wore any shoes that we could get our
feet into. They hardly ever fit.”
 “We ate potatoes three times a day-fired for breakfast, mashed at noon, and
in potato salad for dinner. My mother even learned how to make potato fudge.”
VIDEO
REVIEW
 The Great Depression started on Tuesday, October 19,1929 and ended in
1939- lasted about 11 years
 Caused when the stock market in New York crashed due to many banks
recklessly invested in stocks, deflation, and the Smoot-Hawley Tariff
 Ended when World War II started which provide jobs for 12 million soldiers
in the United States alone
REVIEW
 The Great Depression was a worldwide economic collapse
 Effects were an average of 9,000 banks failed and the real exports decreased
by 21%
 Effects were also that the unemployment rate reached about 25%, and
deflation rate was about 11.5%
CITATIONS
Amadeo, Kimberly. “The Great Depression of 1929.” About.com US
Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
http://useeconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/p/1929_Depres
sion.htm>.
This website explains about the economy during the Great Depression.
Ellis, Neenah. “Survivors Of The Great Depression Tell Their Stories.”
NPR. NPR, n.d.Web. 25 Nov. 2013
<http://www.org/templates/story.php?storyld=97468008>.
This website displays citizens’ memories and experience of the Great
Depression back in the old days.
CITATIONS
Gregory, James. "The Great Depression in Washington State." The Great Depression in
Washington State. University of Washington, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
<https://depts.washington.edu/depress/>.
This website displayed the basic impacts of the Great Depression on Washington State. It
was brief but still contained enough information and key points to efficiently summarize
the impacts.
Pierce, Thomas J. "Depression." World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 3 Dec.
2013.<
http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar155180&st=the+great+depression>.
This website defined the Great Depression well and also provided mostly accurate facts.
CITATIONS
Rosenberg,Jennifer. “The Great Depression.” About.com 20th Century History. N.p., n.d.
Web 24 Nov. 2013. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/p/greatdepression.htm>.
This website describes the impact of the Great Depression on the twentieth century in
Washington State.
Smiley, Gene. "Great Depression." : The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. N.p., n.d.
Web. 30 Nov. 2013. <http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/GreatDepression.html>.
This website explained the causes of the Great Depression thoroughly. It efficiently describe
the main points and is easily comprehended.
CITATIONS
Wilma, David. Depression, The Great, 1929-1939. Microsoft Corporation, Museum of
History and Industry, The Peach Foundation, Feb.-Mar. 2002. Web. 2
Dec.2013.<http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3717>.
This website particularly focused on how the Great Depression impacted the State of
Washington. It was very detailed, providing very reliable information and statistics.
"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web.
30Nov.2013.<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/railstimeline/>.
PBS designed a detailed timeline listing all the important events during the Great Depression
period. The website was easy to understand and hit all the key points.
CITATIONS
“The Great Depression.” Facts. N.p., 28 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 201. <http://greatepression-facts.com/>.
This website was designed to provide statistics and important information about the
Great Depression.
"Great Depression." Washington State Historical Society. SiteCrafting, n.d. Web. 3
Dec. 2013. <http://www.washingtonhistory.org/search.aspx?q=great+depression>.
This website gives some more useful background information about the Great
Depression. In addition, it provided a better view of the time period.