The Great Depression was the worst financial collapse in American History. At its height, about 30% of the working population was out of a job. It touched every single American; black or white, male or female, rich and poor, old and young, Christian, Muslim, or Jew. The Depression did not discriminate. After 10 years of partying in the face of the 18th Amendment, irresponsible investing, poor banking and monetary policies, and a laissez-faire approach to governing, the 1920s came to a sudden and abrupt stop. What begins must end and the hard lifestyle of the 1920s gave way to the Depression of the 1930s.
It was easy to give up during the Depression. But most Americans fought through it with grit and determination. It was not easy and in fact, it was terribly hard. The saying "what does not kill us makes us stronger" is certainly applicable to the time period. Americans did not give up and in the end, they emerge much stronger and much more united than previously. Discrimination still festered and inequality was rampant, but because of the Depression and World War II to follow, those who lived during the time will forever be known as the "greatest generation who ever lived."