The Great Depression

Optimism and Prosperity
When Americans elected Herbert Hoover President in 1928, the mood of the general public was one of optimism and confidence in the United States economy. Most people believed that national prosperity would continue indefinitely. In his acceptance speech for the Republican party nomination for the presidency, Hoover had said:
"We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us."
The Crash
Most economists of the 1920s believed that the stock market was the chief indicator of the economic health of the United States. …