The Great Depression
Consider someone you may personally know that is significantly older than you. If they were to think about what they remember about social conditions throughout their life, what do you think they might say? Were they alive during the Great Depression? Do they remember World War II? Were they involved in social movements of the 1960s? Do they remember the struggle over civil rights? Try to link their personal experiences, as you know them, with the historical events outlined in this chapter.
Sample Solution
If I think of someone significantly older than me that I know personally, I would have to look no further than my grandmother. She is 88 years old and she remembers a lot about various social conditions throughout her lifetime. Though the Great Depression happened before she was born, my grandmother has heard stories from her parents and other family members who lived through it.
They talked often about how they had to be careful with their money since resources were scarce in those days. She also remembers World War II very well as both of her brothers served in the war effort overseas. When they came home after the war ended, she said there was a strong sense of patriotism throughout her small town as everyone celebrated their return home safely.
My grandmother was around during the Civil Rights Movement and remembers it vividly. As an African-American woman living in such turbulent times, this movement deeply impacted much of the way she viewed society and all its inequalities for people who looked like her or were different in any way. She experienced firsthand all kinds of racism, hate speech, and prejudice from strangers on occasion which made her realize even more just how important civil rights were for everyone regardless of race or gender identity.
In addition to these major historical milestones, my grandmother also recalls some smaller occurrences during certain periods in history that affected one’s daily life at that time – like when women first started entering into traditionally male-dominated fields like engineering or finance (which weren’t considered “ladylike” professions back then). Additionally, technology was still developing during much of her adult life so she watched things go from manual typewriters to personal computers; this gave rise to new ways people could communicate with each other across long distances which changed everything!
Overall, my grandmother’s personal experiences combined with all these major historical events provide an invaluable glimpse into what life used to be like before now - especially for those belonging to minority groups who continue fighting even today for social justice reforms!