Dr. Lachin Hatemi: Were Blacks Included in Roosevelt’s New Deal?

 

Dr. Lachin Hatemi: Were Blacks Included in Roosevelt’s New Deal?

By Lachin Hatemi M.D.

Published by www.KultureKritic.com

At the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt took the driver seat of the entire country as the new president and steered the entire nation toward greater government control of people’s daily lives and the utilization of immense social programs. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” brought in innovations such as the Social Security program, unemployment benefits, and tighter regulation of the entire economy. But the “New Deal” also was an era of compromises.

Northern liberals found themselves at the negotiating table with the hardline Southern Democrats, who embraced big government in exchange for North’s abandonment of demands for racial equality across the country. Bargaining was inevitable since without the support of the Southern Democrats, there could be no majority support for the New Deal.

This ironic combination progressivism and racism was prevalent in the South. The South also was not as affected as much by the strict regulation of the capitalist industry by the government, since Dixie was still predominantly an agrarian society with a lighter industrial footprint. All this made adoption of the New Deal much more palatable for Southern political establishment.

The overwhelming majority of Southern congressmen embraced Jim Crow and racial hierarchy as it was galvanized during Roosevelt’s presidency. This deadly partnership between liberal Democrats and Southern Democrats effectively kept Southern African-Americans away from the promise of the “New Deal.” For example, African-Americans were specifically excluded from the set minimum wages and secured benefits for the farm workers.  

The New Deal was revolutionary, and its impact continues to affect us as Americans. However, the GI Bill or Social Security system were hardly universal programs in the beginning, as they specifically excluding blacks as their beneficiaries. No wonder some prominent Ku Klux Klan members such as Theodore Bilbo were also ardent New Dealers. Not until the 1960s was the dignity of Southern blacks were restored. 

Despite its shortcoming, we should all be appreciative since increased consolidation of power in the president’s office with expansion of government did not cause us to become a fascist state. Given FDR was an admirer of the Italian despot, Benito Mussolini, this was not an impossible option. Instead, FDR safeguarded liberal capitalism and its failures in the South. 

Lachin Hatemi is a physician in Buffalo, New York. His interests include human rights, economic justice and interfaith dialogue. You can reach Lachin at Lachinhatemi@gmail.com.