The Great Depression began in 1929 with the Stock Market Crash, and lasted throughout the 1930s, ending with the beginning of World War II. During the Depression, the United States economy fell so sharply that unemployment reached 25%, and the Gross National Product dropped by 33%. This means that companies did not have money to pay their workers; one out of every four people lost their jobs, and had no money to buy things that were still being produced. Because of this, American factories produced fewer things that we could trade with other countries. The slowdown in trade cause the depression to spread around the world.
If the economic situation wasn't bad enough, there was a drought in the midwest, where most of our food crops are grown. It was so dry that, when heavy winds came along, there were massive dust storms that covered the fields, cars and even houses, like snow. The area, especially Oklahoma and nothern Texas, became known as the Dust Bowl. The drought meant that fewer crops could be produced, which meant less food.
The shortage of food meant that food was more expensive, and people couldn't afford to buy it. Many Dust Bowl farmers packed their families up and headed to California to look for work. They became migrant workers, continuously, following whatever crops were in season.
If you would like to read some novels that are set during the Great Depression, I encourage you to read The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
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