Pictures of Americans during the Great Depression of the 1930s

The Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to the early 1940s, was a severe economic downturn caused by an overly-confident, over-extended stock market and a drought that struck the South. In an attempt to end the Great Depression, the U.S. government took unprecedented direct action to help stimulate the economy. Despite this help, the Great Depression finally ended with the increased production needed for World War II.