American History

Dirty Thirties, Hungry Thirties, and Depression Years  these are the names aptly given to the 1930s. Over 123 million Americans lived in 48 states in the said decade (Sutton) and this population was unfortunately hit by a great deal of economic problems. Nevertheless, Americans found comfort in entertainment and managed to live by their freedom despite the hard times. Looking back at the lessons of the 1930s, it is evident how government and society is much more critical today and how the incidents of the said decade have made America the nation that it is today.

The Government and the Economy
Fresh from the crash of the stock market in 1929-1930, the decade started shaky with problems that immediately challenged the administration of Herbert Hoover, continuing to Franklin D. Roosevelt. The economy was defined by a drop in gross domestic product, dramatic fell in prices, soaring unemployment rates (Snell 15), decreasing national income, and increasing government spending (Garett et al. 109). Labor disorders characterized by sit-down strikes and rise of unions occurred left and right, reaching a full-blown recession (Young  Young 5).

State governments thus needed to intervene from their passive administration to domestic policy (Snell 15). In the beginning, state and local governments decided to continue the same spending as with previous years, with support from increased federal state aids. However, these governments needed to provide assistance or relief to people as a result of the unexpected soar and length of unemployment. Hence, the Federal Relief Act (FERA) was signed by Roosevelt (Snell 16), who was always at the watchful eye of the public (Young  Young 5). The creation of the Social Security Act likewise helped by providing retirement benefit programs and unemployment compensation programs and provided states with grants for their assistance programs. It further offered help to dependent children, maternal and child welfare, and public health (qtd. in Snell 17). Both FERA and Social Security addressed the issues of giving assistance to state governments, encouraging wise state spending, providing uniform programs to worthy recipients, and prioritizing health, welfare, and income assistance. Additionally, states transformed their tax systems by creating, adopting, or strengthening taxes. This move therefore increased state revenues. Consequently, the role of the federal government as an unforeseen stabilizer of national economy became evident throughout the Depression years. Federalism and the domestic role of state and local governments were hence regarded as significant lessons learned from the 1930s economic situation, whose use and importance is visible in the country until today (Snell 17).

Culture and Lifestyle
Milk was 14 cents a quart, bread was nine cents per loaf, and round steak was 42 cents a pound (Sutton). These products may seem affordable to the average American consumer of today but 80 years ago, these prices already seem high as a result of the Depression. To ease Americans from burdens such as these, they turned to the power of movies to entertain them. Craats noted that films of the decade reflected fun and heartwarming themes aimed to take peoples minds off their problems. Hence, feel-good movies lured 85 million viewers to watch the latest movies in movie houses each week. Moral and sweet films further encouraged moviegoers as decency and morality were stressed by censors. The household names of the decade included Bette Davis (10) and Clarke Gable (11). Other famous names were Mickey Rooney, Jane Withers, (Craats 4) and Shirley Temple, who created a craze among young girls because of her golden locks (Craats 13). In addition, to supply the needed comic relief, the Marx Brothers, namely, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo showcased their witty one-liners as they starred in various comedies (Craats 12). Two more names who danced their way to stardom were the dancing duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who were credited for making tap dancing popular in the 30s (Craats 13). Moreover, this decade saw the premiere of Disneys classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. However, the most anticipated film, Gone with the Wind, was finally shown at the end of the decade. Hailed as one of the most popular films of all time, the movie set records for production costs and the Academy Awards (Craats 12).

Besides film, another medium that kept Americans minds away from their troubles was radio. According to Elridge, 28 million households and seven million cars had a radio set, which was turned on five hours a day (93). In fact, radio dominated peoples lives and proved to be a necessity of this decade as the poorest families were believed to give up furniture or bedding or most anything (qtd in Elridge 95), except their radio sets. Because of radios popularity, the number of radio stations increased. These stations focused on advertising and business-related tactics to keep them on-air, which somehow downplayed the music industry (Elridge 93). Because of this, a call to more quality radio programs strengthened (Elrigde 96) and moves to preserve folk music that included African-American blues, spiritual and work songs intensified (Elridge 99). Moreover, radio created the swing craze, which mirrored Americas long standing fascination for the African-American culture without the protective coloration of the blackface (qtd. in Elridge 110). The power of radio was further visible when Orson Welles program, War of the Worlds cause panic and terror among listeners because it adapted a news script to make it seem real instead of fictional. In fact, people ran to the streets thinking that the end of the world is near it took days until people and the situation went back to normal (Craats 13).

Other media such as art and design took a different approach as they strived to reflect the poverty, violence, and injustice of the time. Most notable were the American conditions and failure of the capitalist system (Elridge 130) as well as rural and agricultural depictions of America in paintings (Elridge 137). Furthermore, design was adopted from French Art Deco that was evident in the skyscrapers and architecture (Elridge 146). Some of the most notable skyscrapers were the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center (Sutton). However, designers made an effort to Americanize design elements through streamlining, which made use of unbroken surfaces, uncluttered tapering lines, and simpler more useful objects in ships, trains, cars, and houses (qtd. in Elridge 146). In effect, products were made more attractive to lure buyers to purchase them despite hard economic times. Various household items such as stoves, food mixers, alarm clocks, radios and other products like tractors, cruise line cabins, and locomotives received face-lifts to target brand loyalty (Elridge 146).

One of the new markets that advertising and consumerism attracted was the youth. Teenagers of this decade were described as socially aware and conscious and favored the social sciences and history because of the success of the Nazis and the Fascists. Because of this, youth became more open and held demonstrations advocating for peace (Young and Young 25). Along with this openness, teenagers lifestyles were regarded to be too exciting. Young  Young listed teenage girls or bobby soxers who danced to the swing craze and screamed to the music of Frank Sinatra as a testament to this. Hence, adults tried to keep them away from the influence of radio, movies, and swing music. However, it was already too late as the youth had established themselves as a driving force by the end of the decade (25). Young  Young further explained that advertisers capitalized on this development (25). They tapped and directed their attention to the teenage market and utilized the themes of popularity, acceptance, and freedom in their products. Hence, a teens social life meant a car, telephone, allowance, stylish clothes, and endless entertainment (qtd. in Young  Young 25). As expected, the youth popularized some slang terms like Yowsah or yes, Booshwash or anything untrue, and Cheesy or of inferior quality (Young  Young 25). In addition, as they exercised their freedom, dating instead of calling became the norm, cars became sites of necking and petting, and going steady and going all the way became rampant. Nevertheless, despite these developments, the lessons of the decade focused on the productive skills of teenage boys to make it big as future breadwinners and on homemaking and child-rearing for teenage girls (Young  Young 26).

Hard times also called for austerity measures. Hence, Americans stayed away from expensive fashion as simple print dresses, clothes that had zippers instead of expensive buttons, changing hem lengths from mid-calf for day wear to long for evening, and vest sweaters as alternative to matching vest of the three-piece suit became the trends. Nevertheless, Hollywood stars like Bette Davis and Greta Garbo set high fashion by wearing dresses by Adrian and Muriel King and hats by Lily Dache. Meanwhile, literature also mirrored what was happening in America as with the works of John Steinbeck, James Farrell, and Richard Wright. In addition, advancements in science and technology suffered due to lack of funds. However, research resulted to improved refrigeration of food, range of products from synthetic materials like nylon and cellophane, and better manufacturing techniques (Sutton).

Despite these improvements though, the decade witnessed social problems brought about by the Depression. One of this was public education. As parents fall short on money, they were unable to provide their childrens educational needs such as clothes, textbooks, and supplies. Therefore, to keep districts in operation, salaries of teachers were cut and school terms were shortened (Sutton). Another growing problem was the increasing number of juvenile delinquency cases. Young people started to be engaged in petty crimes and gangs and associated themselves with criminals. To solve this, adults called for a more productive use of their time through hobbies and activities. Since President Roosevelt was into stamp collecting himself, more youngsters were persuaded to join the bandwagon (Young  Young 32). In addition, parlor games and board games became the fad as Monopoly was introduced. The popularity of baseball was also hyped as Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio attracted fans and radio listeners (Sutton). Another growing problem of the decade was the intensifying habit of smoking in both men and women. Because of cigarette advertisements depicting urbanity and sophistication, people became deeply attached to cigarette smoking (Young  Young 55). Gambling was also rampant as people tried to look for alternative ways to earn (Sutton). In addition, the 1930s also saw a doubting of the feasibility of the American dream. A new set of democratic meanings redrew political and social lines that encouraged racial violence, turning to radical organizations, and leaving the United States (DiNardo 27). Hence, schools turn to cultural pluralism by acknowledging immigrants and activists call for a genuine democracy (DiNardo 28). All these developments, whether good or bad, were the results of the hard economic times that Americans faced. Despite these however, they lived their lives freely, shaped their own destinies, and adapted to the call and needs posed by the Depression.                

Conclusion
The 1930s is an important decade in American history. The lessons learned from the Depression, the way Americans lived their lives despite economic problems, and the social and political struggles at that time all molded and contributed to the nation that America is today.