The start of the 1930’s, Herbert Hoover became president. At the beginning of the 1930’s, more than 15 million Americans were unemployed. President Herbert Hoover did not do much to alleviate the huge issue. Patience and self-reliance, the president argued, “We’re all Americans needed to get them through this “passing incident in our national lives.”” He once said. When Hoover became president, many people did not trust him already.

Fall of 1930, the first of four waves of banking panics began. The Great Depression was about to happen. As large numbers of investors lost confidence in their banks and demanded deposits in cash, forcing banks to liquidate loans in order to supplement their insufficient cash reserves on hand. Bank runs swept the United States again in the spring and fall of 1931 and the fall of 1932, and by early 1933 thousands of banks had closed their doors.

In 1932, Americans then decided to elected a new president, Franklin Roosevelt, who pledged to use the power of the federal government to make Americans’ lives better. During the next nine years, Roosevelt’s New Deal created a new role for government in American life. Though the New Deal alone did not end the Depression, The New Deal did provide an unprecedented safety net to millions of suffering Americans.

Roosevelt decided to change everything for the better. The Great Depression would go on for a while but it did end and many people were incredibly relieved.

During The Great Depression, people still tried to have fun. They wanted to feel something again instead of being broken. Everything was homemade in the 30’s. The food, the games, the music; there were even homemade portable dance floors. The traditional organized activities including rodeo and football were very popular as well. Popular culture was alive and well at the movies and in music and dancing. Everyone tried to live just a little bit better through the rough time.

Although the 30’s was not all happiness and joy, people still found a way to come together and support each other.