Recording-2025-03-10T19_30_49.352Z

Overview of the 1930s

• Focus on the impacts of the Great Depression on various demographics, particularly Mexican Americans.

Historical Context: Segregation in the 1930s

• Question posed: Which faucet would a Mexican American man drink from in segregated Atlanta, Georgia in 1930?

  • Legally required to drink from the faucet labeled "white."

• Historical rationale: Mexican Americans, upon staying in the U.S. after the Mexican-American War, were designated as white to obtain citizenship rights, despite facing discrimination.

The Great Depression: Introduction

• Title of the lecture: "The Great Depression of the 1930s" with an unofficial title of "Repatriation."

• Key Roadmap for the Lecture:

  1. Causes of the Great Depression

  2. Effects on society and economy

  3. Public blame during this period

  4. Government responses through the New Deal

  5. Examination of immigration and repatriation

Causes of the Great Depression

• Officially marked by the stock market crash of October 1929.

• Economic behaviors leading to the crash:

  • Excessive purchasing and stock buying during the 1920s.

  • A plateau in consumerism led to a decline in stock values.

  • Panic selling ensued, resulting in the crash.

• Consequences of the crash:

  • Bank closures leading to massive loss of savings.

  • Reduction in available loans crippling businesses and personal finance.

• Snowball Effect:

  • Loss of consumer spending → business failures → layoffs → further reductions in spending.

Government Policies and Mismanagement

• Federal Reserve's Role:

  • Raised interest rates, making loans more expensive and inaccessible.

  • Limited money supply to prevent inflation, worsening economic conditions.

• Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act:

  • Tariffs increased on imports, provoking retaliations from other countries and leading to further economic distress.

• Impact on Employment: Unemployment rates skyrocketed to around 25% in various states.

Social Conditions During the Great Depression

• Emergence of Hoovervilles (shantytowns) due to mass unemployment.

• Change in family dynamics:

  • Declining divorce rates due to financial constraints.

  • Abandonment by some fathers who felt unable to provide for their families.

• Severe droughts led to the Dust Bowl, causing mass migration, especially to California.

Cultural Impact

• Increased creativity in food scarcity: Unique recipes emerged in response to shortages.

• Community support through soup kitchens and bread lines.

• Rising suicide rates as a reflection of despair.

Blame Game During the Great Depression

• Common Targets:

  • President Herbert Hoover blamed for lack of action, perceived ineffectiveness, and pro-business policies.

  • Wall Street bankers and financiers labeled as greedy and responsible for the crash.

  • Immigrants, particularly Mexicans, scapegoated despite evidence showing no correlation to the economic crisis.

Government Response: The New Deal

• New president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, introduced the New Deal:

  • A broad range of policies and programs aimed at relief, recovery, and reform.

• Examples of New Deal Programs:

  • Civilian Conservation Corps: Jobs for young men in conservation projects.

  • Works Progress Administration: Jobs through public construction projects.

  • National Industrial Recovery Act and Agricultural Adjustment Act to support different sectors.

• Impact and Effectiveness:

  • Created jobs and provided some relief, but did not end the Great Depression.

  • The Great Depression would eventually end with World War II.

The Repatriation of Mexican Americans

• Mexican Americans faced particularly harsh conditions during the Great Depression:

  • Excluded from New Deal programs, facing job losses and wage cuts.

  • Massive deportations of over a million Mexican individuals, many of whom were citizens.

• Mechanisms of Deportation:

  • Local welfare departments enacted deportations, often targeting the sick and impoverished.

  • Voluntary repatriation also took place, with offers of transportation to Mexico.

• Consequences for Mexican Americans:

  • Cultural dislocation as many returned to a country where they were viewed as foreigners.

  • Economic strain on Mexican communities due to sudden influx.

Conclusion

• Overview of how scholars like Juan G. Pinones and Francisco Baldorama influenced the study of Mexican American history and the recognition of their experiences during the Great Depression.

• Transition towards labor needs post-Great Depression leading to the establishment of the Bracero Program in WWII.