3.2 War on Ethnic Minorities Flashcards
impact of the new deal on black Americans
pros
10% of population
Until 1866: slavery was abolished = still raced racial discrimination
Beginning of the new deal states of the southeast introduced legal segregation and through intimidation and Jim Crow Laws = second class citizens + discrimination
*faced brunt of job loss
hope was offered by the new deal: Cleveland, Ohio the federal government became the largest employer of black Americans. Unemployment fell from 50% to 30%
Opened up job opportunities in the federal government
1934: black American Robert Weaver was appointed FDR’s special adviser on the “Economic status of the Negro”
(Due to Harold Ickes- directly aided black Americans. Former president of the NAACP and role on PWA for housing division) Housing division which became the US Housing Authority introduced racial quotas for its construction projects= black Americans occupied 1/3 of its housing
WPA & Harry Hopkins:
Provided work for 350,000 black Americans every year
Educational programmes employed over 5,000 black American teacher and taught 250,000 black Americans how to read and write
Congress of Industrial Organisation:
Trade union body compromising of predominantly blue collar and unskilled workers - actively recruited black American members = felt more empowered with union support
Benefitted from the Wagner Act; offered trade union recognition and Social Security Act; provided pensions
impact of the new deal on black Americans
negatives
BUT
poor black American farmers received very little aid from the AAA
(Cotton section was headed by Cobb, southern white conservative = gave priority to whites)
(CCC was headed by southern conservative who was equally discriminative ; 200,000 black Americans received placements under the ccc between 1933 and 1942 most were low skill and camps were racially segregated
did nothing to end legal racial segregation: due to influence of southern whites in the democrat party in congress + southern whites had influence to block anti-lynching proposals ( attempts made by black American activists such as the NAACP and Mary Bethune to make lynching a federal offence came to nothing)
impact of the new deal on native Americans
total population of 330,000
affected by the Dawes Severalty Act 1887- gave the Plains Indians of the West such as the Sioux Land full citizenship. Only until 1924 did all native Americans became US citizens
BUT much of land from act had been sold of to speculators - 2/3 of land (oil and gas were discovered on NA reservations)
remaining land was poor quality with poor quality of life
Indian Reorganisation Act of 1934 (regarded as the Indian New Deal)
native American issues at federal level were handled by the bureau of Indian Affairs (starved of funding and regarded as very low priority)
1934: Indian Reorganisation Act replaced the Dawes Severalty Act and offered radical change
First time attempts to preserve Native American Culture
native tribes were organised into self- governing bodies with an elected tribal council
Able to write their own constitutions and have their own legal system, enforced by their own police force
BUT 75/245 rejected the provisions of the act + opposed to further government interference in their affairs BUT collier ensure that Alphabet Agencies CCC and PWA offered relief from unemployment for Native Americans
BUT made very little difference to the position of Native Americans within the US economy - did bring about some administrative changes but did virtually nothing to improve their economic plight.
Didn’t lift Native Americans out of poverty
how did the new deal affect hispanic Americans
1930’s: majority worked in agriculture and were mostly migrant workers
Bureau of immigration (Hoover) launched intensive raids to identify aliens labile for deportation- believed that removal would reduce relief spending and are jobs for natives
- wages rate cut (35 cents and hour to 14)
- lived in poor temporary accommodation
- racial discrimination was widespread (eg: schools)
after 1934: number of Mexicans deported fell by 50%
CCC and WPA tried unemployed Mexican Americans on relief jobs
Farm Security Administration established camps for migrant farm workers in California (but most replaced by anglo workers)
Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration: created to oversee the development effort = transformed island economy and living conditions
BUT
New Deal : legislation excluded them
( National Industrial Recovery Act did not give migrant workers the right to organise into trade unions)
( Fair Labour Standards excluded migrant workers from the minimum wage)
Without trade union support = pay and conditions worsened during the new deal years
AAA attempted to stables farm prices by reducing production = fewer workers were required
black Americans and the war effort
before: 4000 black Americans in the military and only 12 black American officers
WW2: 2.5 million black men registered for the draft, offering their services to a country that did not see them as equal citizens
segregated; living in separate barracks, eating in different halls and received treatment in different hospitals
black Americans served in non-combat roles such as supply or transportation
1941: black Americans to March to Washington to protest discrimination in the armed forces and defence industry. FDR called off the event and issued order 8802 to call of discriminatory hiring and training practices = established the Fair Employment Practice Committee however neglected to address segregation in the military
Tuskegee Airmen
*most celebrated black Americans combat unit.
Was known as the “red tails”
Was bomber escort duty, flying over 15,000 missions
May 1943-June 1945: red tails never lost a single bomber they were escorting
Faced considerable criticism from white southern congressmen -disliked black Americans gaining combat experience & given officer status.
Eleanor Roosevelt helped champion the airmen and keep the group operational
Proved that black pilots were just as competent as whites
1943 race riots
war and work of federal employment comssion help bring end to racial discrimination in defence industry as black americans could beenfit from employment created
BUT faced discrimination in race riots
started in Texas, most serious in Michigan and California
racial tensions had been high when 20,000 defence white workers had walked out when few black americans had been given a promotion
Detriot Race Riots
Began in june - fights between black and white teenagers - increased when white sailors joined in - spread to involve 5000 whites due to rumour that a black man had raped a white woman
lasted 3 days - 6000 troops sent over to occupy the city - took 6 months to restore and maintian order
25 blacks and 9 whites killed
material damage was $2 million
race riots in Harlem had to be controlled by troops
Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles - whites claimed to be attaked by Mexican wearing a suit assocaited with ethnic minorities “Zoot Suit
sailors stripped anyone wearing a zoot suit
sailor confined to baracks
Eleanor Roosevelt caused uproar by writing to head of Calfornia state and clamied riots were racially motivated
Double V Campaign
desier to serve in the defence in war and to end discrimiantion resulted in double V Campaign
inspired by biggest selling black newspaper Pitssburgh Courier - 200,000 sales
began with a letter (by Thompson) to the editor of paper in 1941 - suggesting that black americans should fight injustice overseas by serving in the armed forces and fight racial injsutice domestically by campaigning against segregation and discrimiantion in the work place
Double V campaign was apart of a wider campaign against racial discrimination - other newspapers joined in
Result of Thompson letter- courier began its double V campagin in 1942 and continued weekly until 1943
promoted patrionsim by including american flag and requested that viewers purchase war bonds to help finance war
Double V clubs founded across america
recived support from white Hollywood stars such as Lana Turner and 1940 Republican Candidate Wilkie
After war changed from Double V to Single V campaign - demanding equality domestically as victory achieved abroad
End of discrimnation in sports:
all major league baseball leagues were white
1947- Jackie Robinson signed by Brooklyn Dodgers
= end to racial segregation
1941 - Phill randolph organsied a march in washignton to end segreagtion - encoruaged 5 million americans to join
FDR concerned = order 8802 - outlawed racial discrimiantion in defence industried in return for march to be canclled
