USA HISTORY

Hundreds of thousands of people couldn’tfind jobs during the great depression. Many people who couldn’t find work couldn’t affordto buy food so they had to go to ____

(A) homeless shelters

(B) TVA

(C) food stamps

(D) ** soup kitchens

Concept note-1: -At the height of the Depression in 1933, 24.9% of the nation’s total work force, 12, 830, 000 people, were unemployed.

Concept note-2: -As consumer confidence vanished in the wake of the stock market crash, the downturn in spending and investment led factories and other businesses to slow down production and begin firing their workers. For those who were lucky enough to remain employed, wages fell and buying power decreased.

Concept note-3: -During the Great Depression preceding the passage of the Social Security Act, “soup kitchens” provided the only meals some unemployed Americans had. This particular soup kitchen was sponsored by the Chicago gangster Al Capone.

Concept note-4: -During the Great Depression, millions of people were out of work across the United States. Unable to find another job locally, many unemployed people hit the road, traveling from place to place, hoping to find some work. A few of these people had cars, but most hitchhiked or “rode the rails”.