Great depression of 1930 Essay

The Great Depression and Political Power

The beginning of Chapter 10 is the 1930 Great Depression. The author describes how many Americans lost their employment position in great detail. For the first time, African Americans had recourse to unions that outlined their rights. With this newfound power, the African American society could influence American politics. Roosevelt’s victory greatly benefited the black neighborhoods. But his assistance was insufficient to achieve racial equality for African Americans. (223).

Emphasis on Jim Crow Practices

The southern whites maintained that the only jobs available for African Americans during the Great Depression were those of domestic servants, bellhops, garbage collectors, and longshoremen. This gave the “New Negro” that was emerging in America more hostility. The new crop of African Americans protested in mass action against Jim Crow Practices. Furthermore, they resorted to attacking white properties that were in segregated black communities (234).

Achieving Political Power

The depression is ironic in that despite the African Americans being economically hit and experiencing segregation, they managed to get more political power and influence. The Democratic Party, as a result, incorporated African Americans in their voter base. They enacted New Deal programs that promised to create jobs for the African American workforce (228).

The Second World War and Civil Rights Movement

Chapter 11 talks about the Second World War and the promise of internationalism. During the war period, the Southern blacks who had migrated to the north and west were able to exercise their right to vote and even found jobs. The black southerners also fought for the rights to work and vote, but their victories were hard won. “The African American was experiencing racial discrimination both in the defense industries as well as in the armed forces.” (240).

The Role of Dorie Miller

The Federal Government provided a lot of resources such as funding for the defense forces but did not guarantee equal access to employment. The majority of the blacks remained unemployed while defense jobs remained highly monopolized by the whites (240). However, with the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941, the significance of the black American community came to the forefront through Dorie Miller. Miller was able to carry the wounded soldiers and man a machine gun despite having no gun training. (241). The Whites refused to recognize Miller as a hero. Consequently, it prompted the blacks to rhetoric their decision to fight in a foreign land while, in actual sense, they faced discrimination on their own (242).

The Civil Rights Movement and Citizenship Rights

The agitation of the Black Americas was steadily rising and eventually broke out into a civil rights movement.

The chapter also highlights the struggles of the black southerners to gain citizenship rights (246). A black veteran soldier Osceola Mckaine led the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement. McKaine returned to South Carolina and demanded the right to vote (247). He also successfully fought for the rights of black teachers to have equal payments as their white counterparts. The black southerners failed in their power to vote during the Second World War. However, McKaine pronounced an end to prewar racial status quo. After the war, the blacks still faced discrimination and unexplained killings. However, this time they fought with equal measure. President Truman slowly turned the Democratic Party to support the civil rights movement that was gaining momentum (248). The United Nations also joined the equal rights movement, and blacks started receiving recognition both in America and globally, such as Kwame Nkrumah of The Gold Coast and Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria (251).