Lecture #3- The New Deal and Civil Rights Movement

Page 1: Introduction

• Title: The New Deal and Civil Rights

• Author: Benjamin Gonzalez O'Brien

Page 2: Reconstruction and Jim Crow

• Post 19th-century America still saw Black Americans as second-class citizens despite the 14th and 15th Amendments.

• Racism and exclusion persisted, especially in the South.

• Emergence of Jim Crow laws in the South post-Reconstruction, which enforced strict segregation and curtailed African-American rights.

Page 3: The GOP and Black Rights

• Republican Party's support for Black rights diminished, leading to continued poverty and lack of education for many Black Americans.

• The legacy of slavery continued to affect African-Americans.

• Resurgence of nativism in the 1920s, exemplified by the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924, aka The National Origins Act.

Page 4: Migrant Policies Towards the New Deal

• Criminalization of undocumented entry into the U.S. in 1929 (S. 5094 aka The Undesirable Aliens Act).

• Increased hostility towards Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans; program of Mexican repatriation (1929-1936) had varying estimates (500,000 to over 2 million).

• Some American citizens, primarily children, also faced repatriation.

Page 5: The Great Depression and Politics

• Great Depression began in 1929, lasting until 1941, peaking with 25% unemployment.

• Herbert Hoover believed in market self-correction; government intervention deemed unnecessary.

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) elected in 1932 as Democrats gained majorities, marking Democratic dominance in subsequent years.

Page 6: Shift in Political Allegiance

• Roosevelt Administration marked the first significant shift of African-Americans from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.

• New Deal programs aimed to alleviate the hardships of the Depression significantly affecting Black Americans.

• By 1948, African-Americans were still split evenly between the two parties but 71% voted for FDR in 1936 due to New Deal programs.

Page 7: Overview of the New Deal

• The New Deal changed government expectations, promoting greater intervention in the economy, including the idea of "freedom from want."

• Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act): ensured protection for unionization and collective bargaining.

Page 8: Key Legislation of the New Deal

• Fair Labor Standards Act: introduced minimum wage, guaranteed overtime pay, prohibited child labor.

• Social Security Act: created fundamental welfare programs, still pivotal in today’s U.S. system.

Page 9: Judicial Responses to the New Deal

• Federal government aimed to expand its domestic policy role; initial Supreme Court strikes on New Deal programs.

• Roosevelt's court packing threat to appoint additional justices led to the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1937.

• Resulted in two justices changing their stance, upholding significant New Deal legislation like Wagner and Social Security Acts.

Page 10: Contemporary Response to New Deal

• Editorial cartoon from Buffalo News (1937): depicts FDR amidst themes of dictatorship and government reorganization.

Page 11: Enduring Changes in Judiciary

• “Switch in time that saved nine,” with two justices changing opinions, leading to a new constitutional order supportive of federal welfare programs.

• Tensions over court-packing strained FDR’s relations with Republicans, causing resistance within Congress against New Deal.

Page 12: New Deal's Impact on Civil Rights

• The New Deal represented a constitutional moment due to significant federal power expansion.

• Benefits for Black Americans often limited due to local administration; significant exclusion in Southern states where discrimination persisted.

• Estimated 65% of Black Americans lacked access to social security and other benefits.

Page 13: Legal Precedents for Civil Rights

• Smith v. Allwright (1944): challenged white-only primaries as a 14th Amendment violation; a precursor to Brown v. Board (1954).

Page 14: Landmark Cases in Desegregation

• Brown v. Board (1954):

  • Brown I established that segregated educational facilities violated the 14th Amendment.

  • Brown II called for desegregation "with all deliberate speed," leading to ambiguous enforcement.

Page 15: Legacy of Plessy v. Ferguson

• Post-New Deal challenges to the "separate but equal" doctrine.

• Brown v. Board held that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

Page 16: Resistance to Desegregation

• Southern states used ambiguity in Supreme Court rulings to delay desegregation.

• Tactics included tokenism and funding private White schools.

Page 17: Outcomes of Desegregation Efforts

• First decade after desegregation efforts resulted in only 2.3% of Black children attending integrated schools.

• Southern commitments to segregation remained strong.

Page 18: Little Rock Nine

• In 1957, Governor Faubus employed the National Guard to prevent Black students from entering a school, leading to federal troop protection.

Page 19: Civil Rights Movement Initiatives

• Montgomery Bus Boycott sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest in 1955, led to national attention and momentum for the Civil Rights Movement.

• Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a key leader.

Page 20: Peaceful Protest and Violence

• Peaceful protests often met with violence; media exposure generated greater sympathy for the movement.

• King emphasized disobedience against unjust laws while advocating non-violence.

• Historic March on Washington (1963) saw King deliver "I Have a Dream" speech attracting hundreds of thousands.

Page 21: Rise of Black Nationalism

• Emergence of more militant Black Nationalism associated with figures like Malcolm X, who advocated self-defense and support for Black businesses.

Page 22: Assassinations Impacting the Movement

• The assassinations of Malcolm X in 1965 and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 weakened the Civil Rights Movement significantly.

Page 23: King’s Evolving Legacy and Recent Protests

• King’s peaceful protest image evolved post-CRA and VRA, especially with opposition to the Vietnam War; public sentiment shifted.

• Despite media portrayal, 93% of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful as per 2020 data.

Page 24: The Twenty-Fourth Amendment

• Ratified on January 23, 1964, prohibiting poll taxes for federal elections, countering disenfranchisement efforts in Southern states.

Page 25: The Civil Rights Act (1964)

• Signed by Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, aimed at ending segregation in public education/accommodations.

  • Title I addressed voting standards.

  • Title II prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin.

  • Title III mandated public facilities desegregation.

  • Title IV focused on public education desegregation.

  • Title V established a Civil Rights Commission.

  • Title VI prohibited discrimination in federally assisted programs.

  • Title VII prohibited discriminatory hiring practices.

Page 26: The Voting Rights Act (1965)

• Enacted on August 6, 1965, giving the Justice Department power to suspend restrictive voting tests in Southern states.

• States had to seek approval for electoral law changes affecting race-based voting measures; recent judgement in Shelby v. Holder (2013) deemed this unconstitutional, leading to the reimplementation of voter ID laws criticized for potential disenfranchisement.