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Crowds gathering outside New York Stock Exchange
USCIS Civics · Question 104 of 128

When did the Great Depression start?

Official Answer

The Great Crash (1929)

Also accepted: Stock market crash of 1929

In plain English

The Great Depression started with the stock market crash of 1929, also called the Great Crash. In October 1929, stock prices fell very fast. People and banks lost their money. The hard times lasted for about ten years. The Great Depression started with the stock market crash of 1929.

From the archives

Crowds gathering outside New York Stock Exchange
Crowds gathering outside New York Stock ExchangeAssociated Press, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Image: Crowds gathering outside New York Stock Exchange — Associated Press, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.Answers verbatim from USCIS M-1778 (09/25)