Impact of New Deal on black Americans+ Native Americans+ Hispanic Americans
What reaction did Native Americans have when the Indian Reorganisation Act was introduced?
- 75 of the 245 native tribes including the largest tribe, the Navajos rejects the provisions of the Act - they were opposed to further government interference in their affairs
Explain why this impact of the New Deal was positive for black Americans: unemployment and job opportunities Mention: 1929, Relief Agencies, Federal government, CIO
- After 1929, black Americans experienced the brutality of job losses more than any other societal group - Relief Agencies from the New Deal offered hope for most black Americans. Cleveland, Ohio (a large Southern industrial city) became the USA's largest employer of black Americans, unemployment amongst black Americans fell from 50% to 30% - The New Deal also opened up opportunities for black Americans in the Federal government Robert Weaver was appointed as FDR's special advisor on the economic status of non-white Americans - 1925, trade union body (CIO), was made up of blue collar and unskilled workers, they actively recruited black American members to promote security in union support.
How did the New Deal make life worse for Hispanic Americans?
- Agricultural Adjustment Act 1933 attempted to stabilised farm prices by reducing production. This meant that fewer workers were required - Of all ethnic minority groups, perhaps they suffered the worst especially Mexican, migrant workers
Explain why this impact of the New Deal was positive for black Americans: WPA Mention: Harry Hopkins, WPA, educational programmes, National Youth Administration
- Biggest relief agency set up by the New Deal was the Works Progress Administration under Harry Hopkins. - The WPA provided work for 350,000 black Americans every year during 1936 to 1940. - The act provided educational programmes that employed around 5,000 black American teachers and taught 250,000 black Americans how to read and write. - As well as this, the National Youth Administration that was also set up under the new deal, provided skills training for 500,000 young black Americans.
Explain why this impact of the New Deal was negative for black Americans: Legal and Informal Segregation Mention: legal segregation, Democratic Party, anti-lynching, NAACP and Mary Bethune
- FDR's New Deal didn't do anything to end legal segregation in the Old South. It also didn't stop informal segregation in other parts of the country. - FDR's decision to not focus on ending this issue was influenced by the fact Southern whites were an important group of people within the Democratic party in Congress. FDR couldn't afford to upset them as he needed their support. - Southern whites blocked anti-lynching proposals by using their influence. - The NAACP and Mary McLeod Bethune attempted to make lynching a federal offence in 1937 and 1940. Their attempts were unsuccessful and black Americans remained second-class citizens within society.
What were three positive impacts the New Deal had on black Americans?
- In the workplace there were improvements due to Relief Agencies, opportunities for black Americans in federal government and the Congress of Industrial Organisations - Housing division improvements - WPA providing for, educational programmes and skills training
Explain why this impact of the New Deal was negative for black Americans: AAA Mention: aid, Cully Cobb, sharecroppers, evicted
- Poor black American farmers received little aid from the AAA - Cully Cobb was a southern white conservative in charge of the cotton section of the AAA. He prioritised helping whites - 40% of all black workers made their living as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. The AAA's decision to reduce acreage hit black Americans the hardest. This forced more than 100,000 blacks of the land in 1933 and 1934. - The plan to raise the price of farm products by paying farmers to produce less was a great deal. For farmers who owned land however black sharecroppers suffered as they were evicted off the land when their labour was no longer necessary to the landowner.
Explain why this impact of the New Deal was negative for black Americans: CCC Mention: Robert Fechner, placement, proportionate, controversies, hostility
- Robert Fechner a southern white conservative was in charge of the CCC. When providing aid under the New Deal he racially discriminated against black Americans. - 200,000 black Americans received placements as a result of the CCC from the years 1933 to 1942. However, most of these placements were low-skill and the CCC camps were racially segregated. - Many CCC administrators refused to select a proportionate share of black Americans that would receive aid. By 1935, African American participation was at 10%. - Participation of black Americans sparked many controversies. These controversies were over topics like the location of the camps housing them, and the jobs they were assigned. - Officials began to separate black and white groups due to the hostility and harassment between these two communities. However, in the South segregation of the CCC camps had existed from the start.
What were three negative impacts the New Deal had on black Americans?
- The AAA gave minimal support - The CCC headed by a southern white conservative - Racial segregation still continued both in legal and informal terms
Explain why this impact of the New Deal was positive for black Americans: Housing Mention: Federal Housing Administration, housing units, prospective, racial quotas
- The Federal Housing Administration, promoted homeownership by providing backing of loans and guaranteed mortgages. This was operated through the New Deal's National Housing Act of 1934. - By 1940, black Americans occupied one third of its housing units. - The FHA limited assistance to prospective white buyers. - The housing division which became the US Housing Authority, introduced racial quotas for its construction projects.
What replaced the Dawes Severalty Act in 1934?
- The Indian Reorganisation Act replaced the Dawes Severalty Act and offered radical change - John Collier was appointed the new Commissioner of Indian Affairs
In the 1930s what type of employment did the majority of Hispanic Americans have?
- engaged in agriculture and were predominately migrant workers
What other actions did Collier take?
- ensured that key agencies like the CCC and PWA offered relief from unemployment to Native Americans
What did the Pine Ridge reseveration forbid?
- forbade the sale of alcohol even after national prohibition was abandoned
How did the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 affect many Native Americans?
- gave the Plains Indians of the West such as the Sioux land and full US citizenship - citizenship was extended to the so-called Five Civilised Tribes of Oklahoma in 1901
How much did the Indian Reorganisation Act impact Native Americans?
- made little difference to the position of Native Americans within the US economy - the Indian Reorganisation Act was regarded as the Native American New Deal but did very little to lift many Native Americans out of poverty
What exception was made to some migrant workers during the Depression and what limitations did they face?
- many of those allow to stay had had children while in the USA, these children were legally American citizens - those who remained saw their wage rates slashed
Were migrant workers and Hispanic Americans included in the New Deal? Mention: 7a, minimum wage, pay and conditions
- much of the New Deal excluded them - Section 7a of the National industrial Recovery Act 1933 and Wagner act 1935 gave workers the right to organise into trade unions but this excluded migrant workers - Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established a national minimum wage excluded them and without trade union support their pay and conditions worked during the New Deal
What did The Indian Reorganisation Act do?
- preserved Native American culture - Native tribes were organised into self-governing bodies with an elected tribal council - this council was able to write their own constitutions and have their own legal system enforced by their own police force
What type of improvement did FDR bring for black Americans?
- short term improvements especially in terms of employment through programs such as the WPA, these achievements
By the time of the New Deal what had happened to most of the land given to Native Americans through the Dawes Severalty Act?
- sold off to speculators
What areas in the USA were most occupied by Hispanic workers and what did they work on?
- the biggest concentration of workers was in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado - worked on citrus farms picking organs and harvesting grapes and other agricultural produce
What was the rest of Native American land noted for?
- the remaining land was of poor quality - Pine Ridge noted for its poor agricultural land
What experiences of discrimination did Hispanic Americans face?
- when trying to visit restraints and cinemas and in the public school system they faced racial discrimination, this was widespread
When was slavery abolished?
1866
When did all Native Americans get citizenship in the U.S.?
1924
What did FDR's decision to allow the continuation of segregation lead to?
Allowing the continuation of segregation to maintain support from white Southerners meant that the end of segregation would only come 20 years after FDR's death
Where had most Hispanic workers who were engaged in agriculture and migrant workers come from?
Came from Mexico originally
How did FDR fail the black community?
FDR's failure to bring about substantial change to these communities. Advances in employment and housing did help many, however systematic problems still plagued black communities across America.
Where were the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne who had been nomadic until the 1880s moved to?
Moved to reservations in South Dakota
What was created in 1944 to help Native Americans?
National Congress of American Indians created as a forum to voice Native American concerns
What had previous US governments done to Native Americans geographically?
Previous US governments had moved many eastern tribes to areas such as Indian Territory, which became part of Oklahoma when it became a state in 1970
Why was the quality of life on many reservations extremely poor?
adversely affected by poverty, drunkenness and disease
How had the Great Depression affected black Americans?
affected many black Americans worse than anyone else, with employers often preferring to let go of minority employees over white employees
Did racial discrimination end for black Americans once slavery was abolished?
black Americans continued to suffer massively due to racial discrimination from the white population and from a legal standpoint for over one hundred years
What did the Jim Crow laws of the 19th century legalise?
legalised segregation, meaning that black Americans were treated as second class citizens
What type of living conditions did Hispanic Americans and migrant workers live in?
lived in poor, temporary accommodation, usually shanties built by farmers at the lowest cost
What happened to migrant workers during the Depression?
many migrant workers deported back to Mexico, migrant workers dropped from 600,000 in 1930 to 400,000 in 1940
How much were wage rates cut in Southern California?
migrant workers saw their wages cut from 35 cents an hour in 1928 to 14 cents an hour by 1933
What resources on Native American reservations encouraged white speculators to purchase land and exploit these natural resources?
oil and gas
How many Native Americans were in the USA in 1930?
only 330,000 of the population
By 1934 how much land did the Native Americans have?
only one third of the land given to Native Americans in 1887 was still in their hands
What official board death with Native American issues at federal level and why was this board ineffective?
the Bureau of Indian Affairs which was starved of funding and regarded as a very low priority by successive federal administrations
