Both forced citizens of the United States to become bankrupt and unemployed. Many Americans became depressed because of losing many of their possessions and their jobs. Overinflated stock prices both occurred during the two similar economic declines, causing them to grow worse. Some remained optimistic while others blamed themselves, the "system," politicians, and even business men. People seemed to become segregated: those who had been hired for a job and those who were unemployed. People who were employed pitied those who had lost their jobs but soon began to ignore them. These two economic declines began and ended differently. The Depression was begun by the stock market crash while the Great Recession was begun by increasing foreclosures and defaults. The Great Recession was ended by economic growth starting to resume again and the Great Depression was ended by the end of World War II. The Great Depression and the Great Recession allowed us to learn how to keep our economy going and what to be cautious of that could cause an economic