Learn the causes, immediate effects, and lasting impact of the Great Depression. Even before the first glorious ring of the Liberty Bell, America was a land of freedom and promise. The Cornerstones of Freedom series explores what inspires people from all over the world to start life anew here, endure the economic and social upheavals, and defend the land and rights that are unique to the United States of America. In the summer of 1929, the United States entered a recession, as it had many times before. However, this would be no ordinary economic downturn. Over the next several years, the economies of many other countries began to suffer as well. Soon, much of the world had plunged into the Great Depression, an economic disaster unlike any other.