Isaac Soyer Painting, 1937
This painting by Isaac Soyer in 1937 portrayed the hopelessness in the faces of men and women at an employment agency. Despite the accomplishments that the New Deal had on helping reduce the unemployment in the United states, it failed to solve the problem of mass joblessness in America, especially for those of color.[1] Even though times were difficult for all Americans to find jobs, there was little to no opportunity for African Americans to find employment. Many job owners looked down to African Americans, and thought that they had no business in achieving economic success.
New Deal’s Just Poor Deal In New England,19
On May 7th, 1938, George W. Goodman, the secretary of the Boston Urban League, wrote an article for The Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper. In this article, Goodman talks about how the government’s implementation of the New Deal—for the most part—was biased in favor of white Americans over people of color in terms of its posing of job opportunities. Goodman also emphasizes that even the small portion of African Americans that were qualified for these white collared jobs at the time would be denied due to the color of their skin.[2] Additionally, Goodman believed the efforts that Blacks were making to help acclimate themselves in American society might as well be for nothing if society was willing to accept them.
The Product of The Ku Klux Klan:
On December 14, 1922, Star of Zion Newspaper published an article on the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. In the article it talks about how the Ku Klux Klan continues to terrorize African-Americans in efforts of keep them oppressed prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. The article also conveys that those taking part in this terror group are supposedly law-abiding citizens that commit heinous crimes. When brought to court for their actions, they were found not guilty even when the evidence says otherwise. Star Zion Newspaper believes that it is the government’s job to protect blacks from these terror groups.[3] In addition, the article told stories of African Americans who were attacked because of their economic success.
Work Cited:
- Foner, Eric, 1943- author. Give Me Liberty! : an American History. New York :W.W. Norton & Company, 2014. pg.875
- Goodman, George. 1938. “NEW DEAL’S JUST POOR DEAL IN NEW ENGLAND.” Afro-American (1893-1988), May 07, 18. https://envoy.dickinson.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/531189898?accountid=10506.
- “Products of the Ku Klux Klan.” 1922. Star of Zion 46 (50): 4. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=h7i&AN=72482408&site=ehost-live&scope=site.