How far was continued 2nd class status of blacks fed govts fault in ND era
P1- some alphabet agencies had minimal or detrimental effect on socio-economic position of blacks
NRA codes allowed for regionally differentiated wages- excluded workers in agriculture and
domestic service- ¾ of black workers
Blacks with jobs covered by NRA codes often had jobs reclassified by employers
Distribution of FERA at state level was unequal- white officials in southern states made it
harder for Blacks to get on welfare rolls and paid less to black recipients- rural areas in
Georgia and Mississippi- black relief payment 30% less than whites
AAA- paid farmers to reduce acreage production- 40% all black workers made living as
sharecroppers and tenant farmers- only 13% owned their land- AAA reduction had negative
effect
AAA controlled by largest landowners at local level- evicted sharecroppers on receipt of govt
money to remove land from production- 200,000 evicted by 1940
Until 1936- federal compensation to landowners distributed by landowners who wouldn’t
pass it on- used money to buy machines that replaced blacks
Ca2- benefits of ND, SS and union legislation was limited for blacks
FDR supported Wagner act 1935 guaranteeing union rights and established National Labour
Relations Board to curb unfair employer practises
Fair labour standards act 1938- fixed minimum wage and max hours- many unions excluded
blacks- NAACP estimated that in 1930 only 50,000/3.4mill union workers were black- lobbied
Congress but failed to get non-discrimination clause included
FDR had to compromise for SD support- excluded waiters, cooks, janitors- jobs commonly
done by blacks
SS payments were low with domestic and agriculture workers excluded
Charles Houston naacp lawyer- ss act was a ‘sieve with holes just big enough for the majority
of negroes to fall through’
Sa3- SC continued to deliver rulings detrimental to CR cause
1937 Breedlove vs Suttles- upheld use of state poll taxes
In south 1941- only 3% eligible blacks were registered- poll tax disproportionately affected
blacks due to socio-economic inequality blacks historically suffered
Ca1- exclusion of blacks from provisions of ND leg was due to pressure from southern dems- their
support needed for FDR to push bills through Congress and win support for rearmament
Social security act 1935- FDR had to compromise by excluding agriculture and domestic
service workers
NAACP failed to get non discrimination clause included in fair labour standards act 1938 as
unions continued excluding black workers
FDR also had to exclude jobs commonly done by blacks from Wagner act to appease SD’s
Ca2- SD’s in Congress used filibusters to prevent passing of anti-lynching legislation on several
occasions in 1930s
Costigan-Wagner bill- Robert Wagner and Edward costigan were two liberal dems recruited
by NAACP
4th Jan 1934- costigan introduced anti-lynching bill to punish mobs involved in lynching with
$5000 fine and/or 5 year jail sentence- bill went to senate judicial committee- dominated by
northern dems who submitted it to senate for debate- SD senators filibustered for 2 months-
senate adjourned with no vote on the issue in June 1934
Bill reintroduced 1935- didn’t get votes due to another filibuster
P1- some alphabet agencies had minimal or detrimental effect on socio-economic position of blacks
NRA codes allowed for regionally differentiated wages- excluded workers in agriculture and
domestic service- ¾ of black workers
Blacks with jobs covered by NRA codes often had jobs reclassified by employers
Distribution of FERA at state level was unequal- white officials in southern states made it
harder for Blacks to get on welfare rolls and paid less to black recipients- rural areas in
Georgia and Mississippi- black relief payment 30% less than whites
AAA- paid farmers to reduce acreage production- 40% all black workers made living as
sharecroppers and tenant farmers- only 13% owned their land- AAA reduction had negative
effect
AAA controlled by largest landowners at local level- evicted sharecroppers on receipt of govt
money to remove land from production- 200,000 evicted by 1940
Until 1936- federal compensation to landowners distributed by landowners who wouldn’t
pass it on- used money to buy machines that replaced blacks
Ca2- benefits of ND, SS and union legislation was limited for blacks
FDR supported Wagner act 1935 guaranteeing union rights and established National Labour
Relations Board to curb unfair employer practises
Fair labour standards act 1938- fixed minimum wage and max hours- many unions excluded
blacks- NAACP estimated that in 1930 only 50,000/3.4mill union workers were black- lobbied
Congress but failed to get non-discrimination clause included
FDR had to compromise for SD support- excluded waiters, cooks, janitors- jobs commonly
done by blacks
SS payments were low with domestic and agriculture workers excluded
Charles Houston naacp lawyer- ss act was a ‘sieve with holes just big enough for the majority
of negroes to fall through’
Sa3- SC continued to deliver rulings detrimental to CR cause
1937 Breedlove vs Suttles- upheld use of state poll taxes
In south 1941- only 3% eligible blacks were registered- poll tax disproportionately affected
blacks due to socio-economic inequality blacks historically suffered
Ca1- exclusion of blacks from provisions of ND leg was due to pressure from southern dems- their
support needed for FDR to push bills through Congress and win support for rearmament
Social security act 1935- FDR had to compromise by excluding agriculture and domestic
service workers
NAACP failed to get non discrimination clause included in fair labour standards act 1938 as
unions continued excluding black workers
FDR also had to exclude jobs commonly done by blacks from Wagner act to appease SD’s
Ca2- SD’s in Congress used filibusters to prevent passing of anti-lynching legislation on several
occasions in 1930s
Costigan-Wagner bill- Robert Wagner and Edward costigan were two liberal dems recruited
by NAACP
4th Jan 1934- costigan introduced anti-lynching bill to punish mobs involved in lynching with
$5000 fine and/or 5 year jail sentence- bill went to senate judicial committee- dominated by
northern dems who submitted it to senate for debate- SD senators filibustered for 2 months-
senate adjourned with no vote on the issue in June 1934
Bill reintroduced 1935- didn’t get votes due to another filibuster
