The Great Depression had multiple impacts on both the American people and the American economy. This mindmap splits up these impacts into groups to provide a better/clearer understanding.
Lost jobs, lost
homes, slept in
parks and sewer
pipes,
shantytowns
sprang up, and
soup kitchens
and bread lines
became common.
In Rural Cities
Farmers lost
land (1929-1932:
400,000 farms
were lost),
turned to tenant
farming, and
hundreds of
thousands of
families
migrated from
Dust Bowl areas
to Pacific Coast
states due to
drought and
dust.
Economic
300,000 hoboes wandered
& lived on the streets, no
federal system provided
direct relief (cash money
and food), women weren't
allowed to work unless all
men were employed,
children's healthcare budget
was cut, schools were
closed and school-years
were shortened, and many
children hopped aboard
freight trains to escape
poverty. Consumer
confidence went down
harming the economy.
Social
(society)
Many families became more
united and bonded with other
families as habits of saving and
thriftiness developed shaping
Americans for a whole
generation. Racial violence
towards minorities i.e. blacks
and latinos. Divorce rate went up
as unemployment made
families incapable of supporting
a whole family. Birth rates went
down because some families
stopped reproducing since some
families broke apart. Society
became sick of the stigma of
poverty.
Psychological
(individual &
national)
People lost will to
survive (1928-1932:
suicide rate increase
30% and many were
admitted to mental
hospitals), adults
stopped caring for
their health, and the
youth gave up their
education.