Extra Blog Post: Women and the Depression & WPA and African Americans

One specific quote that I found interesting in Susan Ware’s Women and the Great Depression was, “The typical woman in the 1930s had a husband who was still employed, although he had probably taken a pay cut to keep his job; if the man lost his job, the family often had enough resources to survive without going on relief or losing all its possessions.” This quote highlighted the inferiority of women in that time period as it implied that it was only the men who could go out and work and earn money for a family. Similarly, another quote showed the discrimination against women in the 1930’s. One man’s solution to solving the unemployment rate when it came to his attention that the amount of women working and the amount of unemployed men was the same was, “Simply fire the women, who shouldn’t be working anyway, and hire the men. Presto! No unemployment. No relief rolls. No depression.” This quote emphasized the way men viewed women during the 1930’s and expressed how it was believed that it was unacceptable for a woman to have a job if a man did not because it was assumed that the man was better than the women.

            An interesting point made in the article, Women and the Great Depression, was that there was a positive aspect of the depression for women as they were given the chance to prove their worth and step up to the task while their husbands suffered from unemployment or wage cuts. This was shown when the writing stated, “Women, on the other hand, saw their roles in the household enhanced as they juggled to make ends meet.” This brings forth the idea that women took advantage of the depression and some actually benefited form it.

            I believe that the WPA was an important part of the New Deal. According to the article, The African-American Mosaic, the New Deal included, “special programs focused on three centuries of cultural accomplishments of African-Americans”. This means that the New Deal had parts of it that benefited specifically African-Americans, which was rare in that period of time. 

Ed Paulson Entry 2 Story 2

Ed Paulson had an interesting and unique experience during the depression. It was interesting to hear about the time period from someone who experienced it rather than reading general information about the time period in a textbook.

One of the statements that Ed Paulson made that caught my attention was, “In small towns out West, we didn’t know there was a crash” This really created an image of the difference in lifestyle and culture between the urban and rural areas of the 1930’s. This was also an interesting point because it showed how there were many other factors that went into the cause of the depression other than the stock market crash in 1929.

A significant quote in the interview was Paulson saying, “If you were looking for a job at a Standard Oil Service Station, you had to have a college degree” This quote emphasized how difficult it really was to find work during the depression.

I found it interesting that Ed Paulson found a way to educate himself without proper schooling. Ed Paulson explained how he continued to progress academically without going to school when he said, “I was going to the library…I got my education there, really”. This was interesting because Paulson remained motivated to become educated and found time to go to the library and read even when he had to focus on the necessities of life such as finding a way to eat.

            A piece of the interview that discussed a significant part of the time period that was not discussed in any our class textbook reading was how, “Everybody was a criminal. You stole, cheated through”. This quote was important as it showed how people did what they needed to survive. This statement also highlights the extent by which people needed basic necessities such as food and clothing.

Arthur A. Robertson Entry 2 Story 1

Arthur A. Robertson made interesting comments regarding the reasons why banks cannot properly run businesses. I agree that it would make sense that those who created companies would understand those companies the best. I believe the most important point that Arthur Robertson made about the problem with banks running businesses was that the banks do not take the calculated risks that are necessary for a business to become successful because the banks are conservative as a result of using the money of other people.

I thought it was very interesting how Arthur A. Robertson in a way benefited from the economic suffering of others during the depression. He bought companies for very low prices from people who at the time desperately needed the money and then over time those companies that he bought for low prices gained value. For example I think it is remarkable that he bought a company for $33,000 in 1933 and then sold the same company for two million dollars.

Arthur A. Robertson had a few quotes that stuck out while he discussed the problems

that caused the depression. Robertson emphasized the faults in consumer investments. This was shown was when Robertson said, ”Today, if you want to buy $100 worth of stock, you have to put up $80 and the broker will put up $20. In those days, you could put up $8 or $10.” By saying this Robertson discussed how at that point in time people almost carelessly took high risks and it eventually led to problems. Robertson also discussed the issue that people continued to invest in companies and stocks without worrying that the prices would drop because, “Everybody in those days expected the sun to shine forever”. By saying this, Arthur A. Robertson brought force the issue that consumer confidence was too high and people did not consider the fact that stock prices would not continue to rise forever. Robertson then talked about the traumatic consequences of the depression. Arthur A. Robertson specifically referenced a man whose, “$115 stock dropped to $2” and how the mans reaction to his losses was he, ”jumped out of the window of his Wall Street office.” The story of a man committing suicide highlights the severity of the depression and emphasized the losses of those who lived in that time period.

Leonel I. Castillo Entry 1 Story 2

I think that the connection Leonel I. Castillo had with immigrants significantly impacted the decisions he made during his time spent as the director of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service. I believe that his family background, with having a father who not only immigrated from Mexico to the United States, but struggled with discrimination, caused Castillo to feel sympathetic towards immigrants who were struggling to move to the United States and create new lives for themselves just as his father had. I believe that the sympathy for immigrants coming to the United States Leonel Castillo had served as motivation for him to work hard and strive to find a way for immigrants to come to the United States and live out the American dream that he discussed.

I believe that a key part of Leonel Castillo’s interview was when he discussed the lifestyles of many immigrants once they got to the United States. He discussed the exploitation of the workers. Leonel Castillo explained that many undocumented workers are forced to work in poor conditions for long hours and are paid unreasonably low wages. This problem is not only an issue of morals, but also has an impact on the economy of the United States as jobs are lost because people want to hire undocumented workers who will work for less. This system hurts more people than it helps as it negatively impacts those who lose their jobs and does not help the immigrants gain little from forced to work in unhealthy conditions for immorally low wages.

Leonel I. Castillo also brought up a great point as he discussed the hypocritical statements made by those who claim to be humanitarian. He explained how many people claim that they love all people and have no problems helping out a stranger, but then continue on the claim that immigrants are ruining their culture or express their disapproval of immigrants because they work for too low of wages and cost them their jobs. This brought up the idea that there needs to be a system made where immigrants can come to the United States, succeed financially, and peacefully coexist with Americans.

Leonel I. Castillo showed a great understanding for the process of immigration and showed great amounts of sympathy for immigrants who were struggling to make it in the United States. As he stated, the idea of the American dream has been around for over one hundred years and something must be done to turn that dream from a life of hunger, disease, and exploitation for thousands of people into a reality.

C.P. Ellis Entry 1 Story 1

     The story of the life of C.P. Ellis was very interesting. I was surprised to see that someone with such strong and one-sided beliefs such as a Klansmen could end up changing their opinions.

I thought that the relationship C.P. Ellis had with his father impacted his life significantly. First of all, his father died when he was in 8^th grade, which clearly has a strong emotional impact on any person who suffers such a loss at a young age. Also, his memories of his father gave mixed signals. For example he remembered his father as a man with financial issues who had a drinking problem and wore clothes that made him feel ashamed, but he also remembered his father as a caring man who spent his money unselfishly on his family rather than himself.

Why C.P. Ellis joined the clan is questionable as Ellis said that he admired the klan because of his fathers connections with it, but he went on to discuss how he felt the need to be a part of something and joined the klan for that reason, and then he discussed the third reason of joining the klan as a way to channel his anger that he felt as a result of his fathers death.

I believe that the most logical reason for C.P. Ellis joining the klan was because he craved a sense of belonging because his father died which left him without a role model to look up to and lost someone who would have supported him, and the other members of the klan gave him the moral support and sense of belonging that he longed for.

      I thought that an important part of the interview was when C.P. Ellis said,” It wasn’t long before councilmen would call me up” At this point Ellis discussed how the political figures in the area would talk to members of the Klu Klux Klan and actually encourage them to show up at the protests of the blacks at the time. This emphasized the corruption of the politics in this time period and further demonstrated the extent by which blacks were oppressed at the time.