After the prominence and growth of the Harlem Renaissance. The next cultural affliction for blacks in America was the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt was tasked as the president to solve this financial crisis, and he did this through the New Deal program. The New Deal policies laid the foundation for blacks in their right to vote.
Civil rights organizations, and exposed the discriminative and racist policies in America for years to come. FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harold Ickes specifically dedicated. And guaranteed relief for blacks through their perseverance in establishing New Deal policies. That directly relieved the discriminative hiring process, bypassed segregation laws preventing blacks from employment, and offered them the ability to attain welfare and survive in the Great Depression.
Roosevelt’s administration attempted to advance blacks into government and established career positions. This was difficult because the public consensus. Was extremely discriminative to anything remotely pro-black. Discrimination and racism still existed over America, but was less abrasive and dominant in the northern states. The administration allowed blacks to earn more prominent jobs. As lawyers, engineers, and work in Roosevelt’s administration.
The goal wasn’t to end segregation, but to provide immediate relief for blacks who didn’t have a chance of receiving a job. These blacks were historically called the Black Cabinet. And their goal was to provide legitimate representation for blacks in the government. As well as bring awareness to the disenfranchisement blacks received after living in the South.
While there was initiative being taken by Roosevelt’s administration to employ blacks. The first New Deal program was still discriminative. The first New Deal established the Federal Emergency Relief Administration to provide funding locally. And statewide. The Conservation Corps to establish segregated camps to employ blacks. And eliminate homelessness and vagrancy, and the Civil Works Administration and Public Works Administration provided public works jobs. This program’s entirety was made to provide immediate relief, but didn’t address segregation’s practices that prohibited blacks from receiving relief. This was seen in the South through blacks being denied jobs, food, and a voice to speak up for them.
The second New Deal addressed the discrimination blacks received and attempted to bypass segregation laws in order to assist blacks during the Depression. The Work Progress Administration specifically employed thousands of blacks, and aimed specifically to making sure that the creativity and individualism that the Harlem Renaissance created would be able to find cultivation and a home through this program, The Federal Art program employed artists and provided art for schools, libraries and hospital, while the Federal Music project employed musicians to perform over the country and introduce music in schools.
These programs attempted to offer vocational training and learn tradecrafts for black men as well as women who needed work. The WPA collectively gained black support for the Democratic Party through their focused goal in solving the black financial crisis at the time, which can be seen currently through the black alignment with this political party in present-day.
Roosevelt’s administration impacted the lives of blacks in America through the New Deal programs. Once the Great Depression hit, blacks weren’t able to generate income or establish their artistic individuality as was once done through the Harlem Renaissance. The first New Deal was mainly supposed to be aimed towards whites and immediate relief for the country, while the second New Deal program was made to help blacks establish themselves. The second program allowed the void left behind by the Harlem Renaissance to be filled, and through the WPA’s efforts, the foundation for the pursuit of civil rights and the end of segregation had been laid.
