The American Work Force Dbq Essay

1693 Words7 Pages

Abigail Spiker
US History
Mr. Wicks
May 5, 2023
CBA Essay
The American Workforce, a Turning Point 12,830,000. That’s how many people were unemployed during 1933. In other words, nearly 25% of American laborers were no longer working, hindering their ability to provide for themselves and their families. This was a direct result of the Great Depression, the largest economic disaster in American history. After the stock market crashed on October 25th, 1929, the country quickly fell into an economic depression. Along with high rates of unemployment, many were left without water or heating for months on end while others weren’t even fortunate enough to have a roof over their head. As a result, president Franklin D. Roosevelt set in action the New …show more content…

For instance, “The Alabama Sharecroppers' Union was the largest Communist-organized, black-led mass organization in the Deep South during the Great Depression. Composed of African-American sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and agricultural wage laborers, the union at its peak numbered an estimated ten to twelve thousand members'' (Source A). Many unions similar to this came about in response to the Great Depression to protect each other and their rights. These unions created social gathering and meetings to maintain their rights as American workers, something that is still very prominent in today's society. Other examples of this include the ILGWU. “The ILGWU was also known for its progressive approach to issues such as education and the securing of extended health benefits for its membership. By 1940, the ILGWU was one of the most powerful American unions, with more than 300,000 members” (Source E). With the rise and growth of these unions, employed and unemployed were able to create social movements that pushed the government to give them fair pay and support them as workers. Not only are these unions and their movements still active in the 20th century, so are the laws that they helped create. With the workers unions, things would look very different today which is why the American workforce changes are …show more content…

Gale in Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A184442409/UHIC?u=both41280&sid=bookmark-UHIC&xid=f2648e78. Accessed 19 Apr. 2023.
(Source C) Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Aaron Siskind." Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aaron-Siskind. Accessed 14 May 2023.
This source talks about the effects of the great depression on different aspects of America. It is credible because it is a Britannica source and Brittanica is known to be reputable. This source furthers my thinking because it fills in some of the blanks for the economic impacts of the great depression and the American workforce.
(Source D) Great Depression Facts. New York City, FDR Library. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, www.fdrlibrary.org/great-depression-facts#:~:text=throughout%20the%201920s.-,At%20the%20height%20of%20the%20Depression%20in%201933%2C%2024.9%25%20 of,economic%20 disaster%20in%20america%20 history. Accessed 19 Apr.

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