Great Depression (jan 1, 1929 – jan 1, 1941)

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The Great Depression hit the state of Georgia especially hard. It began with the stock market crash in 1929 which was bad for Georgia because it was already struggling with overproduction and falling prices of the agriculture industry, particularly cotton farming. When the effects set in, crop prices went down, banks started to fail, and thousands of Georgians lost their land and livelihoods. What made matters worse, the drought and boll weevil infestation left a negative impact on the Georgia farms and poverty across the state became widespread especially in the countryside. Unemployment rates grew and a multitude of families had to live without electricity or running water.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who took office in 1933, had a personal tie to Georgia. He had gotten polio in the 1920’s and had begun to visit the warm springs in Meriwether County around that time in hopes that it would improve his health. He fell in love with Georgia and would often return to it. He eventually built a retreat known as the “Little White House” in Warm Springs. He would see firsthand the poverty and extreme hardships that the people of Georgia were facing, especially the farmers and sharecroppers. It was these visits and experiences that influenced many of the New Deal programs and initiatives he championed later down the road. Georgia essentially became his testing ground for his policies.

The federal government funded a multitude of programs in Georgia through the New Deal that provided relief, created jobs, and modernized the economy. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) built roads, schools, parks, and public buildings across the state. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) brought electricity to rural areas for the first time. President Roosevelt also encouraged agricultural reformation that would stabilize prices and reduce overproduction. All of these efforts helped put Georgians back on their feet and laid the foundation for long-term improvements in infrastructure, education, and public health.

Even though there were many gains, the Great Depression also uncovered deep inequalities in Georgia, specifically among racial and economic lines. The New Deal programs often excluded Black citizens, and tenant farmers and sharecroppers were still suffering under the unjust system. Roosevelt, despite all of this, remained popular among the state and was seen as being a leader who cared about the struggles of everyday people. He eventually passed away at the Little White House in Warm Springs in 1945, marking an official end of an era. His legacy in Georgia still lives on through the roads, power lines, and public buildings. He will live on as the president who made the state of Georgia a second home during one of this country's darkest times.

Sources:
https://library.fiveable.me/hs-georgia-history/unit-12/impact-great-depression-georgias-economy/study-guide/1nXKRpIDm5dxzjPj
https://georgiastudies.gpb.org/c17-s4

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