Hard Times Are Hoovering Over Us


The great depression was very sad and difficult time in American history. After the New York stock market crashed in October 1929, thousands and thousands of people lost their jobs and their life savings. Thousands of people were forced to live on the street as they were unable to afford shelter. Many of these people took to living in small shanty towns, Hooverville, that grouped hundreds of homeless people. In the first image, a family insults the president Herbert Hoover by using his last name to describe a situation at the time. Plenty of blame has been placed on president Hoover as he was said to have let the nation slide into depression. Many other terms were coined during this time such as the hoover blanket (a newspaper), hoover flag (turned out pockets) and hoover wagon ( a automobile pulled by a horse). The second image, directly represented many people on the breadline that offered free food to the poor and homeless. Many individuals could not afford to buy their own food let alone afford shelter during the great depression.