How did the government attempt to mobilize the opinion of a diverse American public in support of a united war effort?

1. stock market crash that occurred on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929;original crash in October, stockholders had lost more than $40 billion dollars.
2. Bank Failures;Bank deposits were uninsured and thus as banks failed people simply lost their savings. Surviving banks, unsure of the economic situation and concerned for their own survival, stopped being as willing to create new loans.
3 . Reduction in Purchasing Across the Board,With the stock market crash and the fears of further economic woes, individuals from all classes stopped purchasing items. This then led to a reduction in the number of items produced and thus a reduction in the workforce.unemployment rate rose above 25% which meant, of course, even less spending to help alleviate the economic situation.
4. American Economic Policy with Europe,As businesses began failing, the government created the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in 1930 to help protect American companies. This charged a high tax for imports from foreign countries. The unintended consequence of this tariff was that less trade occurred between America and foreign countries. In addition, some countries retaliated economically against the US.
5. Drought Conditions; While not a direct cause of the Great Depression, the drought that occurred in the Mississippi Valley in 1930 was of such proportions that many could not even pay their taxes or other debts and had to sell their farms for no profit to themselves. The area was nicknamed "The Dust Bowl." This was the topic of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

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U.S. History

1st EditionJohn Lund, Paul S. Vickery, P. Scott Corbett, Todd Pfannestiel, Volker Janssen

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