What does this incident suggest about the state of racial relations during the great depression?

What does this incident suggest about the state of racial relations during the great depression?
Negro and White Man Sitting on Curb, Oklahoma, 1939.
Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives

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 African Americans were out of work. In some Northern cities, whites called for African Americans to be fired from any jobs as long as there were whites out of work. Racial violence again became more common, especially in the South. Lynchings, which had declined to eight in 1932, surged to 28 in 1933.

Although most African Americans traditionally voted Republican, the election of President Franklin Roosevelt began to change voting patterns. Roosevelt entertained African American visitors at the White House and was known to have a number of black advisors. According to historian John Hope Franklin, many African Americans were excited by the energy with which Roosevelt began tackling the problems of the Depression and gained "a sense of belonging they had never experienced before" from his fireside chats.

Still, discrimination occurred in New Deal housing and employment projects, and President Roosevelt, for political reasons, did not back all of the legislation favored by such groups as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). When the U.S. entered World War II, labor leader A. Philip Randolph threatened to organize a march on Washington to protest job discrimination in the military and other defense-related activities. In response, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, stating that all persons, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin, would be allowed to participate fully in the defense of the United States.

To find additional sources on race relations in the 1930s and 1940s, search Loc.gov using such terms as prejudice, discrimination, segregation, Afro-Americans, and race relations.

Documents

  • A Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt
  • Amateur Night in Harlem
  • Ballad of Booker T.
  • Discrimination at Home and Work
  • Folklore of the South
  • Photographic Evidence of Racial Segregation
    • This sign means that apartment house is being vacated by whites and will be rented to Negroes, Chicago, Illinois
    • Negro driver asleep under a truck.
    • At the Greene County fair, Greensboro, Georgia.
    • Negro going in colored entrance of movie house
  • Three Generations - White and Black

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What effect did the Great Depression have on race relations?

By 1932, approximately half of African Americans were out of work. In some Northern cities, whites called for African Americans to be fired from any jobs as long as there were whites out of work. Racial violence again became more common, especially in the South.

How did the Great Depression affect racial minorities?

With the onset of the Depression in late 1929, minorities began losing jobs at a high rate. By 1932 the unemployment rate for blacks was over 50 percent, ranging up to 75 percent in some communities.

How did the Great Depression affect race relations quizlet?

How did competition for jobs impact race relations during the Great Depression? Non-whites were paid less and they were targets for violence for taking those less paid jobs.

How did blacks survive during the Great Depression?

African Americans benefited greatly from New Deal programs, though discrimination by local administrators was common. Low-cost public housing was made available to Black families. The National Youth Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps enabled African American youths to continue their education.