The Great Depression conjures up one of the profound
American twentieth-century experiences. Unlike earlier
depressions and periods of hard times, this economic
paralysis was of a magnitude and duration that approached
trauma; and although amelioration was evident after
federal relief measures were taken, the long-awaited
recovery never took place. The Great Depression lifted
only as the economy stirred because of World War II. It
was a time of breadlines, soup kitchens, and shanty
settlements, punctuated by large-scale industrial strife
as labor organization received a strong impetus. Yet for
all the grimness of the picture, nostalgia recalls a
sense of community such as America did not have before
nor has felt since. Far-reaching social legislation was
enacted in the hope of eliminating the worst poverty and
averting future depressions. We cannot count the number
of people who were crushed by the Depression, but the
national psyche remained unscathed and even seemed
breezily invigorated by the challenges. It was the last
era of pre-Atomic Age security and the last wise-cracking
time. Almost all of the items exhibited here come from
the Labadie Collection of social protest materials, with
some augmentation from the main Special Collections
Library, the Graduate Library, and the Music Library.
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