Why Did Fdr's New Deal Harm African Americans? Summary

Although there was a lot of opposition to FDR's new legislation, it was also given a lot of support by others. In "The Roosevelt Record," editorial in The Crisis, the FDR administration is praised for being the first administration to pay attention to African Americans and to include them in the government's plans. [Document I].

A frustrating factor of this book is that Badger doesn’t use footnotes, even with direct quotes. Instead he refers to specific authors, newspapers, and other works within the book. This loss is aided by his lengthy bibliographic essay and a list of abbreviations used within the book and their meanings. This list helps because it clarifies the specific organizations and groups used in the book. Within the book, Badger manages to mix together a number of different interpretations to present an account of both the New Deal and its historiography. Badger proposes a comparison of the reforms instituted and their unanticipated consequences. Many of these were the exact opposite of what the New Deal proposed, for example, the stronger establishment of big corporations, urban sprawl rather than revived inner cities, weak labor laws, and others.

Prior to the 1950s, very little research had been done on the history and nature of the United States’ policies toward and relationships with African Americans, particularly in the South. To most historians, white domination and unequal treatment of Negroes were assumed to be constants of the political and social landscapes since the nation’s conception. Prominent Southern historian C. Vann Woodward, however, permanently changed history’s naïve understanding of race in America through his book entitled The Strange Career of Jim Crow. His provocative thesis explored evidence that had previously been overlooked by historians and gave a fresh foundation for more research on the topic of

based off of how the New Deal affected Native Americans discusses how African Americans had lower pay scales and last pick for jobs. (Doc B, African Americans and the New Deal). Along with low pay grades discussed in the article, there was also a group of authorities called The Federal Housing Authorities (FHA) whose job it was to refuse giving guaranteed mortgages for blacks trying to buy a house in a white neighborhood. However, the Working Progress Administration's (WPA) created a school lunch program helping many poor families get hot lunch meals for their kids at school (Doc D, Hot Lunches for a Million School Children). This shows that many people were helped by the New Deal. Therefore, the negatives of discrimination in that time frame was not helpful, in the end it is clear that the New Deal was helpful for

Blacks in the depression were among the hardest hit and the opening market of jobs in the years of the war replaced that poverty with livable reality for many. Some joined the military, hoping to fight their way to respect and acceptance in the nation they called home. But in Document B we see the continuing discrimination upon the Black population selflessly serving the country. It wasn’t until posters. like the one shown in Document A, showed people around the United States how respectable and equal these black soldiers were. At home in the work force many would be turned away because of their color. In Document F and H President Roosevelt demands the employment of blacks under Executive Order 8802, as they will help lead the nation to a war power from their dedication and hard work. As employment rose for the African Americans so did their life style, they could be cars, homes and support their families

In the book, When Affirmative Was White by Ira Katznelson, his overall theme of this novel is about how the aftermath of the Great Depression and World War II led to the development of the New Deal, which relieved the lives of the unemployed and poor, restored the economy back its normal state, and improved the financial system in the United States. When New Deal programs for war, work and welfare were forming, White Americans were receiving more benefits while the African Americans were being excluded and treated unfairly. Katznelson’s main argument was that Democratic leaders needed the assistance from Congress’ southern representatives to approve their desired legislative programs. He explains how the southerners persuaded the local citizens

Document J states" Unemployment spiked in early 1920s, then peaked in 1933, and then rose again in 1937-38". This shows relatively low unemployment during most of the 1920s. Also, many Americans were underpaid and overworked. Lastly, they faced starvation and needed shelter. However, Roosevelt responses proved themselves to be effective in relieving the suffering of Americans. Document I states" Roosevelt administration attempted to include Americans in New Deal programs". The New Deal created employment opportunities for Americans throughout the nation and the Roosevelt administration was effective in garnering the support of African Americans despite it's limitations. Lastly, through government aid, many people received food and shelter during the Great Depression. Underpaid and overworked employers saw improvement in their working

The New Deal left a lot of African Americans behind and made it worse for some, this is because they were not given the same opportunities as whites in the New Deal. One thing that seperated blacks opportunities from whites is the fact that the Recovery Administration

Initially Roosevelt’s New Deal was created in response to President Herbert Hoover’s insufficient and slow reaction to the Great Depression due to his laisse-faire governmental approach. He did not believe it was the government’s responsibility to respond to the stock market crash, which signaled the Great Depression. Roosevelt believed otherwise and felt like it was the government’s responsibility to get Americans out of this economic crisis. One major New Deal initiative was the Resettlement Administration (1934), which “sought to relocate rural and urban families suffering from the Depression”.8 It is imperative that historians realize the overlap that

President Roosevelt's New Deal program during the 1930's failed to aid impoverished African-American citizens. The New Deal followed a long, historical chronology of American failures in attempts to ensure economic prosperity and racial equality. During the nearly seventy years after the conclusion of the Civil War, the United States faced a series of economic depressions, unmotivated Congress,' and a series of mediocre presidents. With the exception of Teddy Roosevelt, few presidents were able to enact anti-depression mechanisms and minimize unemployment. The America of the 1920's was a country at its lowest economic and social stature facing a terrible depression and increasing

The great depression drastically changed the way Americans viewed the responsibilities of the government. Due to civic activism, the government was forced to create programs that would alleviate the suffering of the poor and unemployed. While in theory, the New Deal was meant to aide americans that were most vulnerable and the most in need it, it often just further pushed them away from aid . While the New Deal was a success for the majority of white americans, it was damaging to black americans. The president at the time, FDR cared very little about the plight of black americans and garnered them no attention at all . Instead of fitting them into the New Deal and actually considering how the laws might affect them, he instead insisted

I can understand why you believe that the “The New Deal” years lived up to the ideals of “democracy”, “freedom”, and “opportunity”. There was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided job opportunities for young men. Nearly 3 million young men participated in the CCC. The Indian Reorganization Act restored the right to own land communally and gave them greater control over their own affairs. It aimed to decrease federal control of American Indian affairs and increase Indian self-government and responsibility. Mary McLeod Bethune was the highest-ranking African American in Roosevelt’s Admiration and was able to guide a small number of African American professionals and civil rights activists to jobs within New Deal agencies.

There were many racial injustice in the proliferation of New Deal agencies. One was called the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and it was one of the first programs in the New Deal to be enacted into law by congress. The first person to enroll was thirty seven days after Roosevelt inauguration. The CCC was part of Roosevelt response to mass unemployment in the 1932. The CCC enrolled over three million young men from years from 1933 to 1942. There jobs were to plant trees, fight fires, and other related tasks. They also help build roads and fixing parks. One quarter of a million of these young men were black. The African American occupied 10 percent of the CCC, a figure equal to the black population. The CCC had laws that outlawed discrimination

The seperation still from the NRA means a lot, because President Roosevelt was discrimination. He only helped the white people. All of his promising programs benefitted whites and rarely blacks. Speaking for the whole united states means whites, blacks, latinos, and any other ethnic group should benefit from the New Deal. The NRA offered whites jobs first, rather than equally offerering. The NRA also allowed lover wages for blacks and refused to guarantee mortgages to blacks in white neighborhoods.

There were numerous factors brought up, questioning whether or not the New Deal was in fact beneficial for the whole of America. Many say no, as it was followed by a handful of other issues, such as inflation, national debt, and unemployment. On the contrary, I will be arguing that it was, in many ways, helpful for their economy of the US, due to the benefits regarding human rights, standard of living, and the citizen’s overall happiness.