As many as a quarter of Americans were out of work during the Depression, and those who had work were often employed only part time or for lower wages than before. People survived the worst of the 1930s in a variety of ways — by helping one another, by making do with less, by moving in search of work, and by accepting charity. And, of course, life in the 1930s wasn’t always dismal. As always, people relied on entertainment and popular culture to distract them or to remind them of better times. You’ll explore some of their stories in this chapter.

Section Contents

• Primary Source: Louella Odessa Saunders on Self-Sufficient Farming
• Primary Source: A Textile Mill Worker's Family
• Primary Source: Juanita Hinson and the East Durham Mill Village
• Primary Source: Begging Reduced to a System
• Primary Source: Working as a Waitress
• Health and Beauty in the 1930s
• Paul Green
• Paul Green's The Lost Colony
• Krispy Kreme
• Primary Source: Lasting Impacts of the Great Depression