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What Is The Cause Of The Great Depression In To Kill A Mockingbird

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“Maycomb was a tired old town… there was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see…” During this time, the small town of Maycomb was living through the hard times of the Great Depression. People moved slower, others starved, and most struggled to earn a sufficient amount of money.

The Great Depression caused millions to go unemployed, hundreds unknown of where their next meal would come from, stressed, and overall, depressed. This tragic decade started with the Stock Market Crash of 1929 which pressured many banks and made them close their doors. After the market crashed, consumer confidence vanished leading to piles of unsold goods and slowed production. This caused employers or business owners to start laying off their workers. Those who were lucky enough to stay, were paid in small amounts. Over the years, consumer spending and investments dropped causing declines in “industrial output” and the unemployment status to rise.

Not only was it hard for the whites, but for the blacks as well. Around two thirds of two million blacks earned nothing or went into debt. Hundreds left for the cities, leaving behind abandoned fields and homes. Unemployed …show more content…

There is little for the townsfolk to do, no movie theater, nor is there money to see a movie anyway. Maycomb suffered greatly from the Great Depression. Blacks and whites were still separated. It was a poor town. Most of them were trying to “ride out the bad times while looking forward to better days ahead.” Some might have given up. Even though Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus was a lawyer, he still stated that they were poor, but had it better than others. For example the Cunninghams who were farmers, couldn’t pay in cash, and never accepted anything they couldn’t repay. The people of Maycomb simply had nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no money to buy

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