Segregation

There has always been racial tension and prejudice between the African-Americans and the White-Americans. The 1930's contributed to much of this tension in many ways. Some are political, social, and economic. As you read, you will begin to understand the struggles that African-Americans have had to go through during the 1930's and longer.

First, Afro-Americans have been affected by the 1930's politically for a few reasons. Blacks were never allowed to vote. They did not have the same opportunities as the white people did due to the color of their skin. During the thirties, they were not as focused on because of the depression that was going on and of the upcoming war. However, America enacted the Jim Crow laws which segregated blacks from whites in areas such as housing, transportation, and schools. The white people basically didn't care about the black people and only wanted to focus on themselves. They figured segregation would at least keep the African-Americans away from them so that they didn't have to worry about anything but their lives.

Next, black Americans were affected socially by the 1930's during the depression. Since the depression left almost everyone poor, white people tried to get whatever jobs they could. This meant keeping the black men and women away from jobs which they felt they needed more. This left the blacks poorer than the whites. Also, since many supplies were extremely limited, blacks really didn't have much because the white people wanted to take it all. The whites were very selfish and tried to ignore the African-Americans.

Finally, you will learn a few reasons why Afro-Americans were affected economically in the thirties. As in the previous paragraph, black people couldn't get work because the white man tried to take any jobs available before the black man could. They also couldn't get work since many whites were racist. Many didn't want to