The year was 1928 and the American economy was thriving as it had never been before. With Henry Ford's sponsorship of the assembly line, the automotive industry was growing and vehicles were becoming more affordable. The end of the First World War also had positive effects on the American economy. The events leading up to the crash of '29 were recognizable, and now, as economists look back, some are wondering how we, as a nation, didn't see it coming? The real incident didn't happen overnight, it lasted over five days, days America will never forget. America had just implemented an installment plan that allowed people to purchase goods such as cars, appliances, radios, etc. on credit and have installed payments in a “pre-approved (Suddath)” time period. This allowed families to “afford more than ever” (Suddath), starting a buying frenzy. Interest rates were extremely low, which made it easier for more and more people to get loans. Therefore, over time there was a domino effect of bank failures across the nation. Buying on margin was also very popular during this time. The marginal price was not controlled by the government but rather by intermediaries who were only “interested in their own well-being” (Bierman). Until October 1929 marginal prices reached 50% and some as high as 75%, but after October they were up to 25%. The stock market grew in popularity because it was an easy way to make a lot of money. In the years leading up to 1929 “the Dow Jones Industrial Average quadrupled” (Suddath), making it the longest “bull market” on record at that time. For this reason, many investors began to increase stock prices above “fundamental values” (“M...... middle of the paper...... stabilize these two companies, the US Treasury has provided them with various funds. In this way the debt ceiling was increased by 800 billion dollars. Works cited SUDDATH, C.. "The crash of 1929." Time us time.com, 2011. Web 7 April 2014. . (Suddath). Market Crash of 1929." Money-zine. Money-Zine, 2012. Web. 7 April 2014. .("Money-zine"). "Stock Market Crash of 2008." Money-zine.com . Np, 2008. Web April 7, 2014. ("Money-zine.com")Bierman, H.. "The Stock Market Crash of 1929".)