In 1929 the Wall St. crash occurred share prices fell dramatically as investors panicked and tried to sell their shares before they fell still further.
Many people lost their jobs. In industrial areas, mostly the cities of the North and the West, unemployment rose rapidly. Many factories and office workers who had done so well out of the boom of the 1920’s lost their jobs.
People who lost their jobs couldn’t afford to pay rents and pay off mortgages. They were forced to sell them or give them to the banks. Thousands became homeless is America’s biggest cities.
To try and get jobs people sold apples, carried signposts. In 1932, 6,000 men sold apples on the streets of New York alone. They also sold ties, vegetables and rubber balls. They had to queue up to get food. Many Americans starved to death and some resorted to suicide. America’s economy and its people were at an all time low. They were worse now than they’d ever been before.
Concerns of many Americans were, when were they going to get out of the Depression? They wanted to get out of the tents and slums they lived in, which were in the Hoovervilles. They wanted to know would they ever have jobs and homes again? Would America return to its former glory?
FDR was born in Hyde Park, New York on Monday 30th January 1882. He came into a comfortable world. He had a privileged childhood, travelling with his parents throughout Europe, studying at home with private tutors, and finally entering the exclusive private school, Groton at the age of 14. While at Groton FDR was a ‘B’ student.
From Groton, FDR went on to study at Harvard University. This is where he fell in love with distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt (ER). On March 17 1905 FDR got married. FDR went from Harvard to Columbia University. He passed he ‘Bar’ exam in 1907. He then became a clerk at Carter, Ledyard and Milburn, a Wall St. Law firm.
In 1928, FDR was elected governor of New York. In 1932 he won the Presidency.
FDR’s background didn’t really help him in understanding the concerns and fears of ordinary Americans. I believe this because he was born in a near perfect family and background. He wasn’t popular at school but that was about the only bad thing that had ever happened to him. He didn’t understand what kinds of hardships ordinary Americans were suffering during the Depression. He didn’t know what it was like living uncomfortably, what it was like having no home, no money and no food.
FDR was an only child who was pampered by his mother. He cane into a comforting world of social order and established riches. He was the son of a wealthy investor. FDR was left out at school this ‘would give him sympathy for all people who were left out,’ said ER. An extract from ‘Blanche Wiesen Cook, Eleanor Roosevelt (Bloomsbury London ’92) suggest he had a hard time at school. He was always thought of as being a posh, spoiled child and a ‘mama’s boy.’ His mom always gave FDR a lot of support no matter what it was over. His wife Eleanor was also a big influence on FDR. From the same source (Eleanor Roosevelt, by Blanche Wiesen Cook) it says ‘Eleanor’s influence was to be a key factor in his new successes.’
FDR wasn’t brought up to sympathise with ordinary Americans he was a ‘patrician by birth, upbringing and style’ (an extract from www.time.com). I agree with this statement because FDR had never had any hard times, his parents could afford to buy a lot. He was of the upper class