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Social Affects and Culture. Women and the Depression. Women provided 11.7% of the workforce in 1930 Women begin to have more influence during the Great Depression Eleanor Roosevelt helps drive this Frances Perkins becomes Secretary of Labor First Female Cabinet Member
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Women and the Depression • Women provided 11.7% of the workforce in 1930 • Women begin to have more influence during the Great Depression • Eleanor Roosevelt helps drive this • Frances Perkins becomes Secretary of Labor • First Female Cabinet Member • The vast majority of women generally disagreed with women in the workplace • 82% thought a wife shouldn’t work if the husband does • Women make up 15.6% of the workforce in 1940 • They will become an even larger percentage in a just a short time
African-Americans and the Depression • The Civil Rights Movement really gets going during the depression • A. Phillip Randolph starts the first all-black trade union • Mary McLeod Bethune worked for/with young African-Americans • Job Training • Educational Opportunities • Over 100 African-Americans were appointed to the government positions • Eleanor Roosevelt played a key role in rights/opportunities for minorities • FDR was not fully committed to civil rights • No anti-lynching law • No abolition of the poll tax • Some programs did not provide jobs for African-Americans
Mexican-Americans and Native Americans During the Depression • Mexican-Americans immigrated to the southwest looking for work • Generally, what kind of work did they receive? • They struggled to gain workers rights • America’s policy towards Native Americans moved from assimilation to autonomy • Big change in government policy • They were given some key rights • Economic – they owned their own lands • Cultural – children could go to school on the reservations • Political – they had councils to govern their own territories
The New Deal Coalition • Created by FDR and supported the Democratic Party • Southern whites, labor unions, urban groups • Labor unions grew immensely • 3 million to 10 million • Unions had typically been skilled labor • CIO is established to support unskilled or semi-skilled workers (auto industry, steel workers) • Labor strikes were common • Some were violent • Memorial Day Massacre in Chicago in 1937 • 10 unarmed strikers are shot and killed • FDR is reelected in 1936
Movies and Radio • People sought an escape from the harsh realities of the Depression • Over 65% of people went to the movies once a week • Over 90% of households owned a radio • Some films depicted life during the depression while others avoided the topic • Gone With the Wind is the classic example of Great Depression Cinema • Radio was widely varied in topic • Dramas such as “The War of the Worlds” captivated listeners • “Soap operas” get their start on the radio
Gone With the Wind - 1939 • Adapted from a novel • Tells the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction • Highest grossing movie of all time • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ5ICXMC4xY
Marx Brothers • Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, Gummo • Allowed an escape from the everyday and laughter • Duck Soup and Monkey Business • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKTT-sy0aLg
War of the Worlds - 1938 • Written by H.G. Wells in 1898 • Read and adapted for the radio by Orson Welles • Captivated the American public • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egudvdwtDIg
Art and Literature of the Depression • Art tended to be more serious in nature • Was a social commentary on the tough and democratic nature of Americans • Painters and artists were out of work too • The Federal Art Project sought to give them work through murals, education, and other projects • The Federal Writer’s Project helped to fund some of the great literature of the time • John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath (1939) • They tried to praise the virtues of America while illustrating the difficulties and hard times
