Abstract This paper uses John Barry's book "Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America" to examine the political impact of the flood. It looks at how Herbert Hoover used the flood as an example of his stewardship by helping the black victims of the flood. It also looks at how that after heavy lobbying in Washington and many Congressional hearings, flood control legislation was signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge, who initially opposed using federal money for the rebuilding of Mississippi River areas devastated by the floods.
From the Paper "Yet another impact the flood had on America was the decline of New Orleans, which according to Barry was severe. The city "decayed" after the flood, even though prior to the flood New Orleans had "...vastly more economic activity than any city in the South" (411). The city "shrank" and while banks prospered in Memphis, Dallas, and Atlanta, banks in New Orleans - even up to today - were never able to rebound from the flood. Even today - resulting from both the flood of 1927 and from the 2006 effects of Hurricane Katrina - New Orleans struggles. Barry waffles a little on page 411, saying that New Orleans has become a place for "tourists, and picture postcards" but has no economic vitality. "Perhaps all of this had nothing to do with the 1927 flood," he writes. "Or perhaps it did." How can he possibly question the facts presented in his own narrative? "
Abstract The paper shows that while there are numerous theories on the dozens of possibilities that could be deemed the key causes of the Great Depression, there are two in particular that seem to stand out from the crowd: 1) The blatant lack of equal wealth distribution that was prevalent throughout the 1920's, and 2) the far-reaching rumors about a stock market crash which turned out to be the epitome of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From the Paper "The Great Depression, which began in 1929, was not only an economically treacherous event, but it also wreaked havoc on the pride, dignity and morale of countless Americans. Suffering from the shock of instant poverty, many people were actually driven to commit suicide so that their families could survive on the insurance money. Though we are all aware of the tragedies associated with The Great Depression, many questions remain as to just what caused such a widespread calamity to occur."
