Impact of the Great Depression on American Society

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Impact of the Great Depression on American Society
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Discrimination Increases

• Times created hostilities against minorities.
• Whites were willing to take the jobs of
  Asian-Americans, Hispanics and African-Americans.
• Mass deportation of Mexican-Americans even
  though they were born in the USA!

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Minority Groups and the Depression (over
Mexican-Americans

• As white families moved west, it became harder
  for Mexican Americans to find work.
• In California, local leaders and unions convinced
  government to deport many Mexican-born workers
  and their children, many of whom were U.S.
  citizens.
• A shortage of jobs in the Southwest led to the
  illegal deportation of 500,000 Mexican-Americans
  so that whites could get more jobs or government
  relief. (Mexican Repatriation)

African Americans

• Faced discrimination
• Many lost jobs to unemployed white workers.
• Many able to find work through relief programs.
• African American leaders acted as advisors to
  Roosevelt.
• Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator appointed to
  Roosevelts cabinet.
• African Americans appointed to Roosevelts
  cabinet were known as the Black Cabinet.

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Notable African American Women

• Mary McLeod Bethune helped establish the black
  cabinet, headed up the National Youth
  Association, and advised Roosevelt on racial
  issues
• Marion Anderson performed at Lincoln Memorial
  which was arranged by Eleanor Roosevelt

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Impact on African Americans

• Many African American teenage boys ages 15-24
  didnt want to be a burden so they left their
  families to ride the rails and look for work.
• African Americans suffered more than whites,
  since their jobs were often taken away from them
  and given to whites. In 1930, 50 percent of
  blacks were unemployed.
• Children took on more responsibilities, sometimes
  finding work
• By 1932, 40 to 50 percent of black workers in
  Chicago were unemployed.

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Impact on Mexicans

• High unemployment rates led to hostility towards
  Mexican immigrants
• Deportation but situation in Mexico is worse

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Mexican Repatriation

• The Mexican Repatriation refers to a mass
  migration that took place between 1929 and 1939,
  when as many as 500,000 people of Mexican descent
  were forced or pressured to leave the US.
• 50 were American Citizens (children of illegal
  immigrants)
• The Immigration and Naturalization Service
  targeted Mexicans because of "the proximity of
  the Mexican border and easily identifiable
  characteristics."
• The Repatriation is not widely discussed in
  American history textbooks
• These actions were authorized by President
  Herbert Hoover
• Mexican repatriation targeted areas with large
  Hispanic populations, mostly in California,
  Texas, Colorado, Illinois and Michigan.

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Deportation of Mexican Americans at Union Station
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Depression-era culture helped lift peoples
spirits.
Works Progress Administration put artists to
work and helped to create a record of life during
the Depression
WPA
Writers like John Steinbeck explored the theme of
Depression life in his writings.
Literature

• Some musicians, like folk singer Woody Guthrie,
  expressed themes of loss and struggle, reflecting
  the American Depression experience.
• Swing music helped people forget their troubles
  and lifted spirits.

Music

• Radios provided inexpensive entertainment with
  music and popular radio shows.

Radio

• Movies offered Americans another way to escape
  from reality.

Film