How did the Great Depression affect Americans?

The Great Depression of the 1930s had a profound and generally negative effect on the lives of many Americans. By 1933, the unemployment rate had nearly doubled, meaning fifteen million people did not have work. Some areas suffered particularly badly; the unemployment rate in Harlem, for example, reached 50 percent. (See the first reference link provided.)

The Great Depression caused the crime rate to increase. Many unemployed people turned to prostitution or theft to feed their families. Suicide rates also increased. (See the second reference link provided.)

Socially, the Great Depression also brought a decline in the number of divorces (as the process became too costly), but witnessed a rise in the so-called "Poor Man's Divorce." This is another term for abandonment, as men simply left their families to fend for themselves. The birth rate declined, too, as couples avoided the expense caused by having additional children. Instead, they educated themselves on methods of birth control and put off marriage for as long as possible. (See the second reference link provided.)