THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Unemployed men vying for jobs at the American Legion Employment Bureau in Los Angeles during the Great Depression.


THE GREAT DEPRESSION

My name is Jack Anderson. I am in the crowd of people looking for job at the American Legion Employment Bureau in los Angeles. I used to be a car salesman before the Great Depression. My life was like any other wealthy American, late in the 1920s. However, it all changed on October 29, 1929. Now the election of 1932 is coming soon, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only salvation for my country.

My life, as a car salesman was a comfortabled job. Late in the 1920s, the business of cars was a boom. I never had to worry about bills, personal debt or being able to buy extra luxury goods.I was like any other American. I had a great job, a family with four kids, and a house. Every month, I had a big check and I went out with my family to spend.My wife and I loved family vacations, most likely twice a year out of the country. My kids were at privated schools, I have 4 kids between 4 and 6 years old. My wife didn't work, because I prefer her at home helping them. Those were good times, were I had everything and all my family together.

It was 1929, and overspeculators brought people to buy more stocks. On March, stocks had been risen up, and up. I hear most people were getting rich. Unfortunaly, a broker convinced me to bought on margin. When the stock market closed on Wednesday, October 23, it was unbelievable. Business and political leaders told the country not to worry. I didn't knew what to do, take my money out, or trust the country. On October 29, I lost all my money I had invested and saved for years. Caos everywhere, people walking around not knowing what to do, was the Great Depression.
After the black Tuesday of 1929. I lost my job and beign to look for something else with thoundsands of men like me. My wife as a tailor, my kids fixing stuff, and me with littler jobs depending on what people need. Everybody in my house work.
After 2 years trying to survive. The country was worse than I had ever imaged. However, the elections of 1932 is going to be a big decision for everybody. In my opinion, my vote is for FDR. His New Deal will change the country and benefit the poor, me.

LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE 1800S

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This is a map of the Dumbbell tenement

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Conditions of the living conditions in the 1800s













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Tenements in the 1800s








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This is the fisrt elevated train opened in 1868 in New York that change the poeple living condition





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This is a new inventions and a new way of live in the 1800s that help people transport




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This is Chicago in the 1820

LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE 1800S
When the United States got the new inventions, big business, immigrants from around the world and cities start to grow. The living conditions of citizens change for good and bad. Migration, Native Americans, and African Americans help expand, by moving from rural areas to urban. For this cause, cities start to grow and with the new railroad people start to live far away from their jobs. However, more and more people start to get crow and speculators start to built many tenements. Littler by littler people start to transform an area to live into a slum with diseases, bad conditions, and pollution. light, air, and water are the most affect from this kind of living conditions and the government decided to make the "Dumbbell Tenement". I think the living conditions of citizens in big cities such as New York or New Jersey are the worst in the country.
Many new cities were bursting at the seams with newcomers. While millions of immigrants from around the world start to come, they were looking for a place to stay and setting in the cities. Woman and men from around the country and African American help by moving from small towns to big cities, or because they just want to find a new area to live. Other were the reasons for African America too, after the Reconstruction ended in 1877, segregation and acts of racial violence against them increased 150,000 black Southerners left the South after the 5 millions of them left in 1870. I believed in that number of people that moved from the south to a nearby cities, because I hear that still in the 1800s were people abuse and discriminate for their racial color. These were many reasons why cities grew and why people moved.
Before the Civil War , cities were small in area, rarely extending more than 3 or 4 miles across. I met people that live near their jobs used to walk. However with the new inventions such as horse-drawn, carriages that travel on rails and rail roads had changed the living conditions of the citizens in the United States. For this change some companies start to allow people to move outside the cities, and live in suburbs, or residential communities surrounding the cities. Thanks to this change of lifestyle, the first elevated trains was opened in 1868 in New York. Friends of my were happy because it allow commuters to bypass the congested streets. Another new invention that change more the lifestyle of the people in the city was the cable car introduced in San Francisco in 1873.
Buildings got change too. Many people were living crow in small apartments or sharing space with another family. The demands for big buildings with allot of space grew. In the late 1850 building got taller and taller than 5 floors and with tons of rooms. As cities expanded, specialized areas emerged within them. Banks, financial offices, law firms, and government offices were located in one central area Retail shops and department stores were located in another central neighborhood. Industrial,wholesale and warehouse districts formed a ring around the center of the city. I think all this kind of lifestyle and living conditions of people living in the 1800s had change allot, I see people that their live is getting easier than before.
Speculators also built many tenements, low-cost apartment buildings designed to house as many families as the owner could pack in. A group of dirty, run-down tenements could transform an area into a slum. Trees and grass disappeared Hundreds of people were crammed into spaces meant for a few families. Open sewers attracted rats and other disease-spreading vermin. Diseases start to appear such as cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and typhoid,thrived in crowded tenement conditions. Epidemics, such as the yellow fever that swept thought Memphis Tennessee, in the late 1870s. For this terrible sickness in the United States, scientists believed that lack of good ventilation helped disease spread. Light, air, and water was the most affected, and the government made the "Dumbbell Tenement" named for its dumbbell shape. Each building must to have narrowed in the middle, and gaps on either side formed air shafts to bring light and air to inside rooms. I saw many people specially parents that have small kids scared of this bad time of diseases in the United States. I think this new way of construction was a good salvation for many people. The living conditions in the 1800s were good and bad, because of new ways to make easy life and bad results of crow communities and diseases.

LEADERS OF INDUSTRY IN THE 1800S

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Andrew Steel company



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This is a negative cartoon of John D. Rockefeller, about his oil company




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This is a negative cartoon about John D. Rockefeller about the monopoly he had.



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This is a negative cartoon of Andrew Carnegie, about the "robber barons"





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This is a positive cartoon of Andrew Carnegie, about his donations to public libraries.





LEADERS OF INDUSTRY IN THE 1800S

In the 1800s, after inventions were created, big business start to grow, and new businessmen start to appear. One of the most successful of all business leaders and industrialist is Andrew Carnegie. The second most richest and successful in the world is John D. Rockefeller. Both of them give a great among of their money to benefit the nation and support artistic, schools, colleges, etc. Many people include me are happy and thankfully with their donations and help to the poor. I believe that many people in the country love them and know who they are. However some people disagree with their own strategies such as Horizontal Consolidation and Vertical Consolidation. I think many industrialists use many methods, fair or unfair, to gain a competitive edge over their rivals.
Andrew Carnegie born in Scotland in 1835, like many immigrants his family faced hard times. He is famous between immigrants because I know many people that look at him like an idol. He used to work in cotton mill as a kid, then in a Railroad Company and his boss encouraged him to invest money in the Adams Express Company, he mortgage his house and amazed with the money he made, Carnegie start to begun his career as a businessman. The development of the Bessemer process persuaded Carnegie that steel would soon replace iron in many Industries. Then around his 30, he made his first company "Carnegie Steel Company" in 1889. I just realize that he is admired for many people in the country, I can see newspapers writing about him and business people taking about it. As soon his company start to get stronger and have more money to buy the companies that performed all the phases of steel production. This tragedy was The Vertical Consolidation. However smaller companies were then at a disadvantage, because when his production increases the cost of each item produced is lower. Many small businessmen and relatives didn't like that, calling him "robber baron". Since then, I think people start to disagreed with others about is he really a "robber barons" or "captain of industry".
Finally the second more rich and successful businessmen is John D. Rockefeller. Owner of the Standard Oil Company in 1870. All start when oil was discovered in 1859 for Edwin L. Drake and many new opportunities for oil start to arose. Rockefeller didn't think about twice and invest his money from a grain and meat partnership during the Civil War. I hear many histories of people getting rich from grain and meat partnership during the Civil War, it is common in 1800s. Fist, he built an oil refinery, then it become larger, and in 1870 Rockefeller and several associates formed the Standard Oil Company of Ohio. Then he was getting help from other companies and then cut his production cost. So he can fight with his competitors. Rockefeller knew that he can go further, so he used the "horizontal consolidation" which involves the bringing together of many firms in the same business. Rockefeller then got all the small refineries, having all the monopoly of oil. It was a good strategy but I don't think is good for the country because a person doesn't have the choice to choose another kind of oil than Rockefeller's one.
After all, Carnegie and Rockefeller made a really good attribution to the country in donations. When people start to read in the newspapers about the great among of money that Rockefeller gave, $500 million to establish or improve charities and institutions that he believed would benefit humanity. People start to realize that in the end he was a good men when Rockefeller found the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller foundation which give aid to institutions working in the fields of public health, art, social research, and many others. Also Carnegie 80 percent of his fortune went to education, public libraries, artist, and set up a fund to study how to abolish war.
Both of them while expanding their business, they became a major figure too.I think Carnegie and Rockefeller are the major leaders of Industry and made a big change in the United States in the 1800s with their donations.

IMMIGRATION IN THE 1800S

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This is a ghetto of a Italian families.


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This is a paper of the Chinese Act of 1882

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Immigrants in the steerage comming to the United States.

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Homestead Act of 1862



Immigration in the 1800s
Since I just move to life back in the 1800, I realize that since the nation got good economy, new inventions and tons of jobs for everybody, it had consequence, immigration. All the people around the world knew that America was the new world with new opportunities, good lifestyle, free lands, new jobs, etc. Many people came across the ocean in steerage. With the bug grow of immigration and discrimination between 1865-1920, it made people to life with their ethnic groups. However immigrants made good attribution to the country like the construction of the rail road, factories grow, and cheap hand work.

Immigrants came for different reasons. Many of them were the free benefit from the government such as Homestead Act, religion freedoms, education, economic problems, etc. I met people that came traveling in steerage,a large open area beneath the ship's deck. The conditions for immigrants in steerage were bad for example, limited toilet facilities, no privacy, and poor food. However immigrants couldn't do anything because of the cheap tickets. I think immigrants were the most suffered because of abuses and frauds. I hear New York was getting allot of people from around the world and was getting dangerous, also I met a woman named Luciana from Italy and she toll me that she was going to take a connection in train to go North because of to many immigrants in NY.
Immigrants felt the discrimination from Americans and decided to live in ghettos.Ghettos are urban neighborhoods of the same ethnic group of people. I have visited the ghettos a few times to check to see if the people were right about their living conditions. I think every religion or culture is different but they seem to feel comfortable living amongst their own ethnic groups.
After all, immigrants help the nation. Many businesses were helped by the cheap labor and hard workers. Because of the hard work of the Chinese immigrants, the railroads were able to lay thousands of miles of track at minimum cost. However because of the massive amount of Chinese workers the Americans were concern about the impact on wages. The Chinese were working in many fields. The Americans were feeling frustrated and felt their needed to be a limit on immigrations on Chinese. Americans pressured their politicians to find a solution. They created the "Chinese Exclusion Act" in 1882. This Act bared Chinese laborers from entering the country. In my opinion, this was a really extream.
Immigration was a big issue in the 1800 for many people. However they atributed a great deal to what is America today. I met immigrants that came in different ways, for different reasons, decided to live in ghettos, and work in different factories or other class of jobs.

NEW INVENTIONS IN THE 1800S

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The Bessemer Process by Henry Bessemer





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The electric current by George Westinghouse






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The light buld creation of Lewis Latimer









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The phonograph, invention of Thomas A. Edison.









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The way that now the drill for oil had develop since the 1800






New Inventions in the 1800s
New inventions start to grow in the beginning of the 1800s. Such as new forms of drill for oil, new ways of energy, communication, and the construction of the transcontinental railroad with the creation of the Bessemer process. I have see a big change in peoples lives with this new inventions.
Rock Oil company sent Edwin L. Drake to Titusville,Pennsylvania to drill for oil. The idea to drill for oil was new and many were skeptical of the project.This new method would be cheaper and more efficient. Oil quickly became a major industry. I met many people that talked about drilling for oil. They were excited about the chance to get rich quickly. I think this new invention was the beginning of a new Industry and it needed many people to work in it.
Thomas A. Edison made a new source of energy, the electric power and created the phonograph. Then he try to experiment with electric lighting and he tried different ways to produce light within a sealed glass bulb. Finally at 1800 Edison and his team found a workable filament made of bamboo fiber.
Since i have been living here, I see this experiment had develop affordable lighting in homes and business replacing the old oil lamps and gaslights that we used to deal with. Later, Lewis Latimer create the light bulb and George Westinghouse, invented the alternating current. This last form of electricity called alternating current was the most cheap and traveled longer distances. I can feel a big change in my lifestyle with this last new invention related from electric current.Communication was the next step of grow after electricity in the nation. The creation of the telegraph and the telephone, most people now can communicate with others around the nation in a short time and made it more popular.
Finally the building of the Transcontinental Railroad cost to cost, had develop to create the Bessemer Process. This process made easier and cheaper to remove the impurities of the steel. Then Bessemer Process made possible the mass production, which is the production of great amounts of steel lighter,stronger, and more flexible than iron. New age of building began when the Brooklyn Bridge was build in 1869 and new taller buildings "skyscraper" with 16 stories was create. I can believe how the country had develop during this short period of time, I think allot of people believe that this is a good change for the country and the economy.
These new examples of inventions like the drill for oil, the develop of electricity, and the building grow had help to promote America's huge industrial growth during the period of the 1800s.Many people that I know here toll me that their lifestyle had change for good and learned new ways of things to do.

WORKING CONDITIONS AT THE 1800s

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The ILGWU of womans.



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Woman working in factories at the 1800s .




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Woman getting toguether to make a strike.





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Working conditions at The Triangle Factory and how the fire stard.





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Woman working with the help of a machine.

Working conditions at the 1800s
My life experience during the time of 1800s working at a factory like " The Triangle Factory" with the 21st century technologies that I will bring should be a computer, phone, camera, film and some utilities that can help me with an easier work at the factory. Sadly a figure out that many people don't know how to use it or I can´t because of sources at the 1800s.
Everybody knows, working in a factory is hard; because the stuff i have to do like cutting, fixing,or even making specific clothes by hand several times. Is tired; because i have to work hours with out stop until a break which can be at noon for lunch and the end of the day which is the end of work or sometimes at busy days I work with out break.
Exploited, is what I think most employees included me, feel about how hard and long we work for a very low paycheck. $9 per week, is what I earned starting from early morning 7:30 am to 6:30 at night or even more at busy days.
The most uncomfortable feeling for me to work at The Triangle Factory the is the pressure of my supervisors; because I need money to survived I have to work as many hours as I can and also try to make the clothes as fast as I can at really bad conditions. One of the many bad conditions are how crow I feel with the other workers and the temperature inside the building is hot. That I how is my feelings traveled back in time to the 1800s work conditions.
Also ,most people feel insecure at The Triangle Factory, because of the unsafe conditions. Such as, if I want to scape of a fire, I can only scape by going to one of the two stairs in the building. At 1909 started the strike of the woman´s union, the International Ladies´garment Workers (ILGWU) which represented women in clothing factories. The demands were poor working conditions included unlocked doors during working hours with safer fire escapes and low payment. The strike was not total successful, it made factories cut hours but still they made them work harder. At 1911 was the biggest tragedy in history ¨fire on the Triangle Shirtwaist factory¨146 woman were kill, that had made people think about the working conditions more.That had happened after I felt the factory.
The opinion, of my experience at the 1800s is clearly difficult with new technology or with out it, like machinates. Because of the irregular hours doing hard job for low paychecks and doing it at bad conditions made me think that the working conditions here are really tough and people here need to survived and just do their job if they want their paychecks. However the big tragedy had change the conditions of factories.

A littler more about me!

Hi my name is Andrea Castillo I am in 10 grade at Simley high school and Iam from Lima-Peru! I have 2 years at the USA and I love sports( cross country, cross country ski and track) also my favorite hobby is make jewelry.