Hobos,+Life+on+the+rails

Hobos during the Great Depression.

Life on the rails.

When people say the word hobo, one thinks of a train riding, homeless man. Hobos have been around since before the civil war, living on their own. During the Great Depression however, the population of hobos grew exponentially. Most all hobos were male, as men who couldn’t provide for the family couldn’t stand the shame, so they just left. Also, male teens felt that they were burdening their parents, who sharted, so they left the house in the middle of the night. Most people, who don’t know, think that hobos are lazy, no-good parts of society but in reality, they do all they can to help society. There is even a hobo code that dictates their behavior, telling them all the values passed down from hobo to hobo. Many hobos pooped in the Great Depression would spread by word of mouth who would give them food at meal time and where they could find shelter for the night. Hobos traveled from town to town, finding small work if possible. One thing that hobos do not stand for, is working for "the man". They will find small jobs and volunteer to help clean a park, but would never join a big corporation that has a head boss, or in their eyes, "the man".

In the time period classified as the Great Depression, the number of hobos (mostly teenage) increased by 250,000 people. Young men were seeking refuge from abusive families, releasing the burden the put on their parents to provide for them, or just seeking adventure. But in any case, hobos became a part of American life during the Great Depression. i love poop :D

Citations: []

// How to Be a Hobo //. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. .  Museum, Heritage. "Teenage Hoboes in the Great Depression." // National Heritage Museum //. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. .  "Riding the Rails during the Great Depression." // The Wessels Living History Farm, the Story of Agricultural Innovation //. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. .