3.3 Social and Cultural Changes Flashcards
Works Progress Administration support for muscians and writers
aspect for the New Deal was support for arts from 1933
* thousands of artists had created 15,000 pieces of art such as murals, paintings, poster
Federal Arts Projects employeed 6600 people made of everyday professionals and notable writers
Federals Workers Project - aimed to offer employment to out of work teachers, librarians and writers for manual work associated with CCC
create guides - America Eats - to produce a written portrait of cultural diversity and richness of american life
The American Guide - covered all 48 states was a lasting achievement of FWP - each state repsonsible for own guide and aid in developing tourims
Saul Bellow developed American Eats- documenting amercias foods and eating habbit. information of origins of cuisine and regional specialiteis
FWP collected oral histories with former slaves ,native americans and immigrants about experience of arriving in USA
275 books and 700 pamphelts published
musicans offered support under Federal Music Project (1935-39) and WPA Music Program- help given to unemployed musicians
FMP attemped to produce high quality music and singing in a variety of forms
WPA federal music project sponsored many NYC musical groups that appeared on local radio station WNYC - in 1936 almost half of WNYC broadcast areas supported by FMP
- FMP funded over 7000 compositions by over 2000 composers
- funded concerts - over 148 million people
- gave under represented gorups/ethnic minorites a chance to play music and be paid for it
- encouraged revival of traditoinal music and folk songs with creation of national archieve
- FMP lowered low cost or free concerts to the poor adn underpriviledge
- porvide USA with pool of musical tallent that would of been misses
changes in the role of women - including impact of the Fair Employment Practices Commission on the status of women and black Americans
women
helped transform the role and status of women- traditional role to marry and raise children
social changes in 1920s insignificant compared to jobs created by second world war
even before entered the war - producing war material for Britian under the Lend and lease Act of 1941
1941-45 USA mobilised 11.9 million men with increase in war production = jobs had to be field
* 17 million women in work 1/2 were mothers and wives
**black Americans FEPC
**
1941- FDR signed order 8802- created Fair Employment Practices Comission- outlawed racial discrimination based on colour or national origin
FEPC gave opportunities for employment and encouraged further migration from south to northen cities asscoaited with war production - eg Detriot
BUT
living condtions were over crowded and forced to live in segregated housing areas
relucatant employers forced to take on black american workers but gave low wages and menial jobs (white workers saw wage rise 60% but blacks on 40%)
1943-FEPC strenghtend by order 9346 after being informed of violations by employers to order 8802
* increased budget
* replaced part time staff with full time professionals
by end of war - 8% of defence jobs were held but black (from 3%)
1946- end the FEPC. had been two attempts to recreate FEPC on permanent basis but both failed to pass a republican controlled congress
wartime propaganda
USA helped gain popular support of war through propaganda
* war involved maximum effort - to ensure that US people were completely behind the efforts of their government
1942- federal government created the office of war information OWI
aim to communicate governments views on the war
- posters apeared in public place
- encourage women to participate in war industries by creation of Rosie the Riveter with slogan “woman power”
- posters warning against spies, spreading gossip “loose lips cost ships”
National war bonds - bought by ordinary people was a major source of funding
propaganda used to demonise the enemy. germans and Japanese decipted as bestial and sub humans who aimed to destroy US
The power of Hollywood, including war films and the rise of Disney
use as a propaganda
* Senate subcommitte in 1941 launched an investigation into whether hollywood was playing its part in the campaign to support Britain in the war. hoped that pro-british messages in teh films would help cause of supplying Britain with Lend-Lease war materials
* Gary cooper won best actor for portrayla of US soldier who captured 20 german prisoners.
* Mrs Miniver won best film- about british family standing up to the Germans
* Holly wood director John Ford was employed by US Navy to make films about the naval war in the pacific
* hollywood stars - clark gable and james stewart volunteerd and joined the air foce
* 12% of all actors joined and 25% of all hollywood employees fought in war. others in efforts supporting war
* Disney- Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck appeared in magazines sich as the Coronet dressed as marines and Red cross volunteers
* Disney worked with the treasurey department- produced two income tax films and produced cartoons selling war bonds and discouraging wartime waste and supporting government
* disne campaign aiemd to encourgae americans to grow their own food in “victory gardens”
* disney characters painted on warplane
* hollywood effective in raising morales, explaining US war aims and supporting government programmes
* OWI set up 2 agencies to supervise hollywood
- Bureau of motion pictures produced eduational films and Bureau of cesorship oversaw export of hollywood films to counties in south america
- ensured that negative images of USA would not be exported
growing power of radio
- FDR had shown power of radio in fireside chats during new deal era
- FDR was seen as a crucial member to war effort- “Beacon of life”. Moved millions with inspirational words
Used the radio to convert war messages, printed maps in the newspapers so public could follow what was happening - most americans had access to radion
- = effective way to share government messgaes
- 1941 “Speaking of Liberty” and “you cant do business with Hitler” radio station series
- Treasurey sponsored radio shows where war bonds were sold in commerical breaks
- sitcomes were popular
- radio helped war effort - purchasing war bonds , petrol issuing
growth of popular music
- leading music stards played part in the war effort
- Glenn Miller joined the armt and his band toured European battlefiedls
- he died in the war when travelling to entertain american troops
- Artie Shaw served in Navy and led a jazz band that toured Pacific combat zones
- musical entertainment was part of the governments plans to ensure the troops recived effective moral support - included regular mail and decent food
Frank Sinatra was women’s heartthrobs (women were more sexually driven at a younger age because boyfriends left for war and didn’t know when would come back)
