48 star flag adopted July 4th, 1912
The United States of America was a federal constitutional republic that existed in the 1930s.
The legislative branch of the United States consisted of a bicameral Congress. In addition, a President oversaw the U.S. government's executive branch. Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt both served as president during the 1930s.
The capital of the United States was Washington D.C.
During the 1930s, the United States had only 48 states. According to the 1930 census the total area of the USA was then estimated to be 3,738,395 sq. miles (not counting oceans, the gulf of Mexico, or the great lakes). Its territories and possessions were Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, Port Rico (unincorporated), Guam, American Samos, the Panama Canal Zone, and the Virgin Islands of the US.
Entertainment
See Also: Hollywood
The 1930s were the golden age of Hollywood; American films were the most influential in the world. In the year 1930, The USA released 509 Feature Films, and roughly 90,000,000 Americans per week went to the movies.
Fashion
Main article: Fashion in United States
Fashions became more conservative after the stock market crashed. In women's clothing, hems came lower and the waistline returned to the natural waist. In men's clothing, the chest was made to look bigger. Both sexes emphasized the shoulders.
Politics
Herbert Hoover was president from the beginning of the decade until 1933, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president from 1933 onward.
Prohibition was repealed in 1933.
Pop culture
Superman became a sensation in 1938.
Sociology
Race Relations In The United States
Popular Names
Population Statistics
The census for 1930 determined the population of the continental US to be 122,775,046 at a density of 41.3 per square mile. (With its territories and possessions included, the population was 137,008,435.)
Of the main population, demographics were broken down into the following:
| White | 108,864,207 |
| Negro | 11,891,143 |
| Mexican | 1,422,533 |
| Indian | 332,397 |
| Chinese | 74,954 |
| Japanese | 138,834 |
| All Other | 50,978 |
| Males | 62,137,080 |
| Females | 60,637,966 |
| Under 5 | 11,444,390 | 9.3% |
| 5 to 14 | 24,612,486 | 20% |
| 15 to 19 | 11,552,115 | 9.4% |
| 20 to 44 | 47,023,247 | 38.3% |
| 45 and Over | 28,048,786 | 22.8% |
| Age Unknown | 94,022 | .1% |
The original .pdf further breaks down the population by state and city, and delves into other criteria such as marital status, home ownership, etc.
Technology
Main Article: Technology in the United States
Electricity
In the beginning of the decade, nearly 90% of urban populations had electricity. However, only 10% of the rural population had access to electricity, as private utility companies maintained that providing electricity to the country would not turn a profit.
In 1935, president Franklin D Roosevelt signed the bill to create the Rural Electrification Administration, which was intended to bring electricity to these lesser-populated areas. This was met with some opposition from groups wary of the economic impact, government competition for private businesses, socialism, and the perceived inability of farmers to manage electric companies.
By 1939, 25% of rural houses had electricity.
Indoor Plumbing
Like Electricity, Indoor Plumbing reached the cities and towns long before it filtered into the rural communities. In urban areas, Indoor Plumbing was already so widely available that housing was considered sub-standard if it did not have it. By contrast, most farm houses used outhouses and pumps.
Zoom In
| Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia |
| Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire |
| New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania |
| Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington |
| West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |
Web Links
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/farminginthe1930s.html - Detailing farm life in the 30s
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gowenrf/husseyms_072.html - blurbs about childhood in the 30s