The Study of the Great Depression allows for students and scholars alike to get a glimpse of the United States during an internal struggle. Studying the Great Depression, allows students to assess history in retrospect to its people and societies over time. Understanding the nature of people during the 20's and 30's through memoirs and photography, capture the true essence of hope and lack thereof. Many of today’s widely acclaimed popular reads such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, and Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind were written during the prosperous years of the 20’s and well into the tragic years of the 1930’s Depression.
President FDR’s New Deal policies helped to put a number of institutions in place, many of which are still used today. The creation of the FDIC put in place an insurance policy, covering funds up to $2,500, to eliminate the reality of banks losing investment due to high-risk investment opportunity. The repeal of Prohibition, put in place following WWI, brought new revenue to various states, providing an economic boost nationwide. The WPA (Works Progress Administration) offered employment opportunity to the unemployed to provide for families and bring some balance to everyday life. These job opportunities included National Park Establishment, City services, Road construction, and public art mural creations among many others.
Regarded as one of the more tragic events in our nation's history, the Great Depression also serves as one of the more memorable and impacting, who's effects are still felt to this day.