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What was Black Southern life like during this time?

Black Southern Life in the first half of the 19th century was very difficult. They faced animosity and racism from white people as well as systemic racism that oppressed them financially, socially, and educationally. The presence of segregation meant that Blacks were confined to inferior schools, which resulted in difficulty in getting decent paying jobs. This created an economic disparity between Blacks and whites.

What did it mean to be a Black person?

If you were Black or colored, you were considered inferior to white people. This meant the following:

Less access to education, hospitals, jobs.

Segregation in restaurants, theatres, buses, etc.

Different neighborhoods.

Voter suppression

Racism

Threatened by hate groups such as the KKK

Lynching, burning, and other acts of terrorism

What broader events were happening?

Great Depression

Jim Crowe Laws

Prelude to World War 2

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As a black person living in America means people of colour are different from white people. People such as blacks and Mexicans are treated unequally. Public services such as buses and public bathrooms have separated areas only for white people. Signs are made explicitly to exclude black people from certain areas.

Natural disasters happens frequently due to misinterpretation of America's ecology. The southern regions suffered heavily from droughts, people and livestocks were killed.

During the great depression the current president at the time initialed the new deal that tried to life people out of poverty. However with the outbreak of the second world war. America shifted its political strategy solely on winning the war, which lead to the end of the great depression.

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Life during the time of 1928 to a couple of years onwards

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Life during the time of 1928 to a couple of years onwards

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Maya Angelou was born in 1928 during the time of the great depression. Her parents separated and she was sent to live with her grand mother in the South of America. She is a black girl and there were other black kids who were in similar situation as her and her brother.

Live in the south was very tough for the black people because majority of them were in poverty. The great depression of the 1930 worsened the already bleak economical situation of the African Americans. They were the first to be laid off from their jobs and they suffered from an unemployment rate two to three times that of whites. In early public assistance programs African Americans often received substantially less aid than whites, and some charitable organizations even excluded Blacks from their soup kitchens.
Being black was super tough and life was not made easy as the blacks did not have access to much essentials and resources. Especially during the error of racism.

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The industrial boom that began with the outbreak of World War II in Europe in 1939 ended the Depression. However, unemployed whites were generally the first to be given jobs.

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Harlem Renaissance, saw a surge of of black culture within the mainstream media. African American literature, music, art and politics taken seriously. Great depression happened that lead to job shortages, whites got preferential treatment. Some soup kitchens excluded African Americans, legal system stacked against them, former confederate soldiers became police officers and judges, made it extremely difficult to win court cases. Between 1931 and 1932, the commission published the findings of its investigation, the realities of police brutality came to light, even though the commission did not address racial disparities outright. KKK loss of power and popular support, still remained active. Jim crow laws that were meant to marginalize African Americans. 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes president. Meanwhile, Hitler is expanding throughout Europe, same with Japan in China, WWII is about to start.

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Racism and segregation was especially strong in the South.

Separate facilities for the Whites and the Colored.

Lots natural disasters heavily impacted the agriculture sector in the South eg. Drought, floods.

The Great Depression resulted in many people losing their jobs, the Blacks harshly suffered compared to the Whites.

Many Whites protested and attacked Blacks for taking up job opportunities, stating that office jobs were for the Whites and the Blacks should go back to the fields to pick cotton

Cotton and corn became one of the staple crops during the drought periods.

Workers in the field struggled to make money
and afford living.

Blues and Jazz music flourished and developed in the South as people found ways to escape the harsh reality of the Great Depression.

The Jim Crow Laws were established that further aggregated the segregation between Blacks and Whites.

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In the 1930's, a quarter of the able working age community was unemployed due to Black Tuesday.

In the south, there was large amounts of segregation. For example, separated drinking fountains and different seats on public transport.

Many black people in the north had returned to the south for housing or work.

The average southern black family in the 1930s barely had enough money to keep themselves fed which was coupled with long hard-working days and threats of lynching from the active KKK community.

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The country was suffering from The Great Depression

People especially in the south were actively racist causing segregation

Unemplyoyment was estimated to be around twenty five percent of the total labour force

Even those who managed to become employed were being payed as little as $5 for a week of full time work
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=UHIC&u=sand55832&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX3404500017&asid=1603771200000~8dde7674

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What was life (Black Southern Life) life during this time?

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What was life (Black Southern Life) life during this time?

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What did it mean to be a black person in America during this time?
Why?
What broader events are influencing these things?