Afro Americans And The Great Depression Of 1929

This source is valuable because it provides historians with evidence that shows how the New Deal actually made employment much more difficult for African Americans. For example, the NIRA led to many blacks losing jobs, employment rates were lower than ever due to the tripling of Federal taxes, and many black sharecroppers faced numerous difficulties.as a result of various New Deal programs. The value of this source is limited because the author is writing for a libertarian organization, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a democrat. Also, the author does not include any personal account from African Americans that suffered the effects of the New Deal.

This affected the economy because they could not meet the demands of the country. Although as a whole all men and women had their problems the people facing the most conflict were the Afro-Americans. During this time the Jim Crow Laws were taken in action. It was said that everything was to be separate but equal. In theory this seemed as a good idea at the time but in reality it was not. The African American people had their own schools, churches and even bathrooms but they were not the same. The school did not have enough supplies or even space for the amount of students they

After the Stock Market crashed in 1929, the American economy was at its lowest point. The consequences of this crash were that the birth rate decreased, over 70,000 businesses were forced to close, and jobs became so limited that white workers started taking the undesirable jobs previously held by the African Americans and Mexicans. President Hoover’s voluntary system of associationalism and limited government did not help with the economic recovery.

African Americans lifestyle did not see much change from before the depression and during the depression in the sense of the capital dollar. They assumed the New Deal brought up by president Roosevelt at the time would bring change to their life, but the white public would not stand to be on equal terms with a person of color. “Unemployment was rampant, and many whites felt that any available jobs belonged to the whites first.”i Many white Americans did not want African Americans to be paid minimum wage, but be paid lower than minimum wage. Industry’s also wanted to pay their employers a different wage depending on the color of their skin. “Negro unskilled labor,

Throughout history, groups have experienced differential and unjust treatment on the basis of race, ethnic origin, national origin, gender, age, disability, religious preferences and more. While the Pilgrims, often credited for the colonization of the United States of America, came to this country seeking religious freedom and thereby fleeing religious persecution, discrimination quickly flourished in the young nation with slavery and the abolishment of indigenous peoples. Fast forward to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. This low point in American history affected jobs, savings, homes, farms and the social structure of the nation. The group which experienced the greatest difficulties was African Americans.

The KKK forced many black americans who were living in the south to migrate north (McNeill). Those who stayed in the south often faced hardship throughout the entirety of the depression. Many were unlawfully imprisoned due to internalized prejudice within the judicial branch as well. Even when World War 2 began and the economy revived, racial minorities were still the last to be given jobs (McNeill). The popular phrase of “no jobs for blacks until every white man has one” sadly rang true. It was incredible difficult for black americans to get back on their feet after the Great Depression. A majority of black youth were killed, forced out, and then denied jobs for the while the depression existed.

According to the 1930 census, 37 percent of working African-Americans were employed as agricultural laborers and 29 percent as personal-service and domestic workers. Only 2 percent were classified as professionals (lawyers, doctors, teachers and clergy)…Unemployment increased rapidly in the early 1930's. It was thought that approximately 15 percent of the workforce were unemployed in 1930. African-American organizations estimated that the percentage of unemployed black workers was at least twice the rate of the country as a whole.3

As the nation slid into the depression crisis the future began to look dark for ethnic workers. Unemployment, mortgage foreclosures and bank failures and the security that was once provided by informal networks began to crumble, undermining the financial security that ethnic workers had tried to accomplish during the 1920s. The Great Depression affected benefit societies, churches, banks, neighborhood stores, and welfare capitalist employers, leaving the workers to call into question their loyalty to these once sustaining institutions of the 1920s. Moreover, ethnic communities that had once felt the state only wanted to deprive them of their cultural freedom now found no other option but to look to the government to build a more equitable capitalist society (Cohen, 252). Workers decided that maybe organized unions and government could remedy the failures evident during the crisis and provide the security once provided by the climate of the 1920s.

The Great Depression. The worst financial crisis to ever hit America. Unemployment rates of over 25%. A 50% decrease in national income. Billions of dollars lost in a single day. (Trotter, pg.8) The Depression affected everyone in America. Young and old, rich and poor, black and white, none were spared. However, for America’s 12 million African Americans (Encyclopedia of Race and Racism) the Depression didn’t just start in 1929.(Africa to America: From the Middle Passage Through the 1930s) African Americans were a subjugated minority. Racism wasn’t only present in America, it was accepted by many. In the South, Democrats fought to keep African Americans under harsh segregation and oppressive laws. (Trotter, pg. 9) Efforts to relieve

The 1920s seemed to promise a future of a new and wonderful way of life for America and its citizens . Modern science, evolving cultural norms, industrialization, and even jazz music heralded exciting opportunities and a future that only pointed up toward a better life. However, cracks in the facade started to show, and beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 the wealth of the country, and with it the hopes and expectations of its people, began to slip away. The Great Depression left a quarter of the population unemployed and much of the rest destitute and uncertain of what the future held. Wealth vanished, people took their money out of banks, and plans were put on hold. The most significant way in which the Great Depression affected Americans’ everyday lives was through poverty because it tore relationships apart and damaged the spirit of society while unexpectedly bringing families together in unity.

The Great depression caused many problems for black people and they were greatly affected by it. Problems of the Great Depression affected every American, however, African Americans were the most affected. By 1932 half of Black Americans were out of work. In some Northern cities, blacks were fired so that a white person could take their job. But yet again, racial violence became more common, especially in the South. Even when President Roosevelt was trying to end the Great Depression there was still a conflict between the blacks and whites in the New Deal Housing and employment projects. This just goes to show that once everything has been set in motion that it can't really become a non-normal thing. Everyone was mostly worrying about themselves and their own people that they didn't bother

African Americans didn’t know that is was a Great Depression. African Americans have always been poor and knew how to survive. By 1932, approximately half of black Americans were unemployed, blacks always felt unemployed and under paid. Whites attempted to keep blacks out of work by not hiring African Americans. They used racial violence, and discrimination tactics to keep an underprivileged population depressed.

There was unemployment to a certain degree amongst the black community, as over 10% of black people were unemployed. This could be linked to poverty and poor quality of schooling and education Poverty and the condition of living and housing was a major

Being black during the Depression was very hard. You would be fired from any job you had and white men would take your place. On occasion if their were any whites out of work, they would call on blacks to be fired. Blacks didn't have jobs so they had no way to sustain themselves or their family. Although there wasn’t slavery during the civil war, African Americans would still sometimes be hired to work at homes to clean, and cook. The Library of Congress wrote, ¨The problems of the Great Depression affected virtually every group of Americans. No group was harder hit than African Americans, however. By 1932, approximately half of black Americans were out of work (Lib).¨ There was barely any money to pay Americans with, so they made significantly less in 1933, than in 1929. With no money there were more people starving, and only surviving off of their self grown foods, and local farming. Even with local farms, and gardens there still wasn’t enough for everyone to eat, due to not having enough money to buy seed.“In 1933, the average family income had dropped to $1,500, 40 percent less than the 1929 average family income of $2,300” (Enc). People were starved because of the lack of food. Many were forced to leave their homes and live on the streets, because they had nothing. From 1931-1940 alone there were no less than 8 million deaths in the United States. “Every sixth American farmer was affected by famine. People were forced

The minority communities like Africans have tasted the worst impacts of recession. This is so because unemployment rates are highest within these communities. By the year 2010, the unemployment rate of the African population in the United States stood t 16.1%. These groups have been hit most because the level of education among the majority of them is low, compared to that of the dominant population. Language barriers can also, be considered a cause. As a result of, the growing unemployment, these groups have turned to crime. For instance, the black population is branded as violent. It is true that