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When looking back at American history and the African American struggle for true freedom, minds first flock to the late fifties and sixties to cite evidence of progress. There’s failure to realize the fight had begun much earlier, events that often go underappreciated. The New Deal era is a great example of how African American progressed throughout the tough decade while being undermined in the grand scheme of history. although discrimination and disparities existed many achievement were still made. Programs that Black Amercians could be included in, court defenses that suppressed Jim Crow black codes, protests in both southern and northern cities, and a black woman working inside the Roosevelt administration. It will become evident that many future civil rights victories were won on what time periods African Americans were fighting for and continued on to the next decade. The argument isn’t that life in the thirties was better; the argument is Black Americans have struggled since the early days of America, gained little to no support until the thirties, and began making progress thereafter. The impact of the thirties carry forget civil wins that easily help us shape our knowledge of the future.
Background
1930's and FDR's New Deal
All that economic successes that Amercains were
experiencing all came to an end when the stock market crashed in late 1929. In the craze there was rapid deflation of the value of the dollar, unemployment was picking up, and many couldn't get jobs. With little response from Republican President Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt with the promise of the New Deal won an overwhelming majority for presidency which caused the longtime loyal Black vote to turn in favor of the democrats.
FDR's new deal can be summarized as governmental
relief effort to help unemployed Amercians through the depression via programs or benefits. Many of these programs consist of work for money, food, and other supplies in return. One example is the Civilian Conservation Corps that enlisted many young men to work on parks, national forest, and other environmentally dedicated work. This and others such as the National Youth Administration and Social Security turn out very successful.
Life as a Black American hadn't gotten much
better since the end of the first world war as many had hoped and many argue that going into the 1930s that trend hadn’t changed. Yet despite being considered one of the worst time periods for Black Americans, this time period was also filled with many victories and forward progress that goes under looked when looking at their struggle for civil rights.
This era in American History is defined by the
high economic prosperity of many, mostly white male Americans. At the same time committing discriminatory action/policy. Thanks to the boom in industry following the First World War, many Black Americans moved to northern cities such as Harlem. Although better, both in the North and South they faced discrimination in the workplace, segregated/unequal access to schooling, and even opposition to exercising their right to vote. In many Southern cities lynching was still common despite attempts of the NAACP in court efforts to pass anti lynching legislation.
The artifact to the left is one of those
campign efforts by the NAACP to the anti lynching legislation. These flags were hung in the hopes to sway the residents of New York opinion on the legislation. These efforts spread across America and hurt Southern Economic prosperity by painting them negatively.
Provided opprtunities to work for a wage
Those opptrunities excluded most Woemn and Black Americans
In the vast majoirty pof the those cases Black Americand were segreated from white Americans
Foster the adpotation of mnay polices still in place such as soical sercurity
There would be programs and refeil that Black Americans did get to be apart
Other acts such as the Agriculture Adjusment Act were deemed unconsituional
Women could take part in these programs
These women had to be single to apply on theoir own or couldn't because the Husband was
During the depression the African American may in
fact have gotten much more difficult. While many people of color already struggled to find employment in wealthy America in their time of prosperity it was far worse during their time of struggle. Many owned unskilled laborer jobs were the first to go when the depression hit. Others, like the high population of black sharecroppers tents in the south were laid off by their landlord. With few opportunities, work and far more hostile south, as many as 1.75 million black Americans move to northern or western cities. Although the conditions were less than desirable, often living in small, no air conditioning, electricity, or modern plumbing, with multiple kids or even families depending on how bad their final situation had gotten. Yet these conditions were far more favorable to the people who were trying to obtain freedom from the jim crow of the south. The artifact to the rights illustrates the homes that Black American were normally subjected to. During this time, many civil rights protests began to pick up steam, like Mary McLead Bethun's National Council of Nergo Women. This orgination founded in 1935 began the fight for many future victoires to come: fought for anti lynching legistaltion, abolishment of the poll tax, and eglibility for social secrity for black amercians who worked deomestically or agricultrally. Other organizations like the Young African Americans founded in 1937, registered many Black Americans to vote and organized 'Don't shop where you can’t work' boycotts. Even the neutral Roosvelt appointed the first black federal judge and reportedly tripled the Black population working in government under his administration.
The artifact above illustrates the homes that Black American were normally subjected to. The image to the right illustrates a struggling mother taking care of her kids in the home conditions described: Small, poorly constructed, with multiple mouths to feed.
Despite the many hardships and
barriers the Black population faced, we’re still given the opportunity to partake in the new deal programs. Limitations were put partly due to Roosevelt's neutral stance on the question of race, access was given to a handful of Black Americans into the programs and inclusion into benefits due to the picking up protest in both North and south cities alike. Strides were made in considerably one of the most racist institutions at the time, the military, who oversaw the Civilian Conservation Corps. 10% of all enrollees were African American which fared much better than other acts like the NRA or the AAA. The programs provided food, proper shelter and clothing, and a growing community of like minded, hardworking individuals trying to take some autonomy in their lives. Being in camps allowed them to get away from the broken communities where they could learn new values, ones of honesty, brotherhood, loyalty, and dedication.
The artifact above shows Black American posing for a picture at their designated Civilian Conservation corps Camps. Almost all were placed in a segregated camp to the white people; those fortunate enough to be placed in white camps faced little racism and were extremely well liked among their peers at camp.
Powell v Alabama(1932)
In the Original trail of the of Scottsboro Boys were denied the right to
proper counsel. The state was quick to try the case while at the same time providing inadequate counseling preparation. Their defendant did nothing but show up to the court hearing that took less than a day to sentence all nine of the boys to death. In the appealed case the court upheld that the boys were denied the right to proper counseling and preparation time. This reserved the decision of the lower and forced a retrial. The artifact to the right shows the scottsboro boys and their lawyer in the lead up to the trail. This victory was huge in returning the judicial rights that had been stripped from all Black Americans as part of strong black codes and Jim Crow laws in the lower states.
Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada(1938)
Lloyd Gaines was denied entry to Missouri Law School because of the
policies and laws around admitting a black student into their institution. After the first trial upheld the Missouri decision he appealed to the Supreme Court that his equal protection clause had been violated. The supreme court sided with Gaines in a 6-2 decision to force equal opportunity with the state of Missouri to both Black and White students. The court also added that simply adding a law school at the Black University wasn’t enough and must allow Lloyd to attend Missouri Law School to ensure that he and every black student had access to the same education as the White students.
The artifacts illstartes one of the ealriest, Crystal Bird fauset, an African American Women sitting next to Elenor Roosevlt, the first lady during the time period. She fought for both the advancemnet of colored people and women respetcively. One of her earlisest aclomplishments was gruadating from Univeristy in 1931. Later in 1932 she would found Colored Women Activite Club wherein which she would help many Africana American women register to vote. All this pales in comparison to gettining elected into Pensilvannias state legsilataure, which at the time was domainately white. Within the legislature she was able to pass numerous laws and bills regarding public health, housing, reilf and a supported women workplace rights. Additonally she also served on Roosvelet's Black cabinet
Despite strong sentiment against it American would
ultimately be forced into war. In the september of 1940 the selective training and service act was signed that forced male ages 21 to 45 to enlist into draft. About a year later Japan would bomb Peral Harbor forcing Roosevelt to declare war and into WWII.
Despite the progress made in previous decade the military
service decided to keep the military segregated by Blacks and Whites. Black Americans were limited in what jobs they could perform mainly due to many military facilities being located in the south, although it was commonplace everywhere. Regardless of the barriers and racism the community worked towards a victory, sloganed as the double V: victory abroad and at home. With much patience and persistence the time for the community to thrive finally came. The 761st tank ballatalon the first ever black america dvision to see land combat in Gemermny where they liberated more than 30 Nazi controlled towns. The artifact illustrates a picture of one of the dvisons members, Private Ernest A. Jenkins, being pinned with a silver star. The underappreciated support of African Americans during the war would go along well , with the vice President and future President, Harry Truman, who signed an Executive order in 1948 that would ban the segregation of the military.
There is no discrediting the progress
made towards full civil liberties for the African American Community. Not all was fair in the New Deal and discriminatory polices were far more common that in future decade. One should still be able to observe the progress made even within the early days of their struggle for freedom in the United States. Many of the popular protest were exemplified in this time period, strong advocated for change within the politics with Bird Fauset, and even small acts of inclusion like the communities built within the CC program all go a long way to moving culture and a society towards becoming more accepting of types of people regardless of gender, religion, or race.
Beverton, Alys. “Crystal Bird Fauset (1894-1965) •.” •, October 28, 2020. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/fauset-crystal-bird-1894-1965/.
BibliographyMcGuire, John Thomas. 03/2013. "Working within the Labyrinth of Race Crystal Bird Fauset, Urban African American Women, and the National Democratic Party, 1934–1944." Journal of Urban History 39 (2): 172-192. doi:10.1177/0096144212465264. www.summon.com.
https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.1177/0096144212465264 (in case yoiu want to make your own)
Bilou, Abu Ryan. “Malcolm X and MLK: Seeking Justice Through Faith.” MuslimMatters.org, December 27, 2019. https://muslimmatters.org/2018/02/26/malcolm-x-and-mlk-seeking-justice-through-faith/.
Clark, Alexis. “Black Americans Who Served in WWII Faced Segregation Abroad and at Home.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, August 5, 2020. https://www.history.com/news/black-soldiers-world-war-ii-discrimination.
Donocoff, Alana. “Black History Month 2020.” Black History Month 2020 | Smithsonian Digital Volunteers, February 3, 2020. https://transcription.si.edu/articles/black-history-month-2020.
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"Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada." Oyez. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1900-1940/305us337.
Kindig, contributed by: Jessie. “Scottsboro Boys Trial and Defense Campaign (1931–1937) •.” •, October 24, 2022. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/scottsboro-boys-trial-and-defense-campaign-1931-1937/.
Klein, Christopher. “Last Hired, First Fired: How the Great Depression Affected African Americans.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, April 18, 2018. https://www.history.com/news/last-hired-first-fired-how-the-great-depression-affected-african-americans.
Mattimore, Ryan. “The Original Black Panthers Fought in the 761st Tank Battalion during WWII.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, April 11, 2018. https://www.history.com/news/761st-tank-battalion-black-panthers-liberators-battle-of-the-bulge.
"Powell v. Alabama." Oyez. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1900-1940/287us45.
McCracken, Samuel. “Review: ‘FDR.’” Columbia Magazine, 2008. https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/review-fdr.
Studio, Libby. “African American Enrollees at CCC Camp.” Civilian Conservation Corps in Idaho Collection, January 1, 1933. https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/cccidaho/items/cccidaho1355.html.
Ulaby, Neda. “Art of the New Deal: How Artists Helped Redefine America during the Depression.” NPR. NPR, May 25, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/05/25/854864293/art-of-the-new-deal-how-artists-helped-redefine-america-during-the-depression.
“Women and the New Deal.” Living New Deal, August 20, 2020. https://livingnewdeal.org/what-was-the-new-deal/new-deal-inclusion/women-and-the-new-deal/.