Civil Rights - FP3 - Southern Democrats and FDR

Question 1

Hindering of Southern Democrats - Overall

Answer 1

1877-1929 - Gov = little support to AA - SC endorses
Black northerners vote for repub but neither dem nor repub give help

Question 2

Context of congressional organisation

Answer 2

Solid south electoral voting block prioritises interests of white supremacists in the South
Nov 1932 - Congressional elections - Dems win all confed house of reps seats
Dem state govs after 1887 introduce disenfranchisement legislations + JC
Continued use of white primaries since 1890s
Seniority rules give power to uncontested confed senators
Speakers often dem giving control over bills disussed - 1935-36 Byrns, 1936-40 Bankhead, and in the senate 1923-37 Robinson

Question 3

FDR and his staff

Answer 3

FDR wins election nov 1932 with large majority - limited by HOR, senate, chairpeople
VP garner of Texas used to secure southern dem support - ensured FDR would not upset southern white dominance
Byrnes - dem senator S Carolina FDR speech writer 1932 and white supremacist

Question 4

Southern Dems shaping legislation

Answer 4

1 party system = influence - block any legislation they oppose
Senators Smith S Carolina, George Georgia, McKeller Tennessee highly committed to racial heirarchy
Southerners chair 27/49 committess in HOR and 13/33 in senate
Non Southern Dems could not pass legislation without southern support- never below 44% in senate and 41% in house

Question 5

Inteference with New Deal

Answer 5

1933 FDR = new deal to recover from depression
AAA hampered by southerners - FDR wants southern cooperation
SC rules AAA unconstitutional 1936 federal gov exceeding powers
Farm service agency 1937 - forced withdrawal of AA from FSA by dems
Wagner act and fair labour standards act minimised as domestic workers and AAA dominated industries excluded

Question 6

Growth of Opposition among Democrats

Answer 6

Concerns over increase in executive power e.g. federal banking laws in new deal
FDR efforts to change composition of SC fail and 1937-41 conservative coalition of southern dems and republicans ensure radicalism of early new deal ended
However scale of FDR victory in elections prevent his removal

Question 7

Jim Crow: De Jure v De Facto

Answer 7

De jure - armed forces segregated - black units with white officers until 1948
Since 1913 federal offices segregated
Separate but equal in all aspects of life - 1 / 7 public libraries in south serve blacks - Alabama white female nurses not allowed into wards where AA men were, Georgia blacks and whites could not be served in the same room, Wyoming intermarriage outlawed
De facto segregation - prevented from certain housing/general disrespect

Question 8

Jim Crow: Voting Exclusion

Answer 8

1927 and 1932 Texas white primary cases SC rule white primaries violate 14th - Texas gets around
Smith vs Alright 1944 Landmark decision regarding primaries
Grandfather clauses overturned 1915 Guinnvus BUT violence rise of KKK and 1941 3% of eligible black voters registered
Breedlove v Shuttles 1937 - against poll tax ruled against AA

Question 9

Some Supreme Court Rulings

Answer 9

1932 - Powell v Alabama SC retrial of Scotsborough boys
Norris v Alabama - 1935 held systematic exculsion of AA from jury violated 14th
1938 Hail v Kentucky SC overturned conviction of AA accused of murder noting jury exclusion
1938 Misouri x Rell gains v Canada Murray admitted to Maryland law school

Question 10

Need for anti-lynching legislation

Answer 10

4608 victims of lyching 1882 - 1932 7/10 AA
230 highest annual figure 1892
NAACP campaign for legislation - 1919 repub NAACP report prompting further consideration
Dyer bill filibuster rejected by senate 1922, 1923, 1924

Question 11

New Deal, Southern Dems, and Civil Rights: Exclusion of voters and continuation of JC

Answer 11

Congress unsympathetic to exclusion of black voters
FDR lwo profile on JC and the handful of white liberals did not challenge segregation - reluctance to alienate Southern Dems
FDR 1st President since 1870s to denounce lynching but never fully supported bills in 1934,35, 37 and 38

Question 12

New Deal, Southern Dems, and Civil Rights: Costigan-Wagner anti-lynching Bill

Answer 12

1934 Costigan-Wagner anti-lynching Bill - southern dems organise filibuster and bill dies
Northern dems refuse to push issue for fear of splitting the party
May 1934 - FDR tells secretary of NAACP he was unwiling to challenge southern power
1933-41 FDR remains silent on lynching

Question 13

New Deal, Southern Dems, and Civil Rights: Other anti-lynching attempts

Answer 13

1934 lynching of Claude Neill - tortured for nearly 2 hours in front of a crowd
1935 lynching of Reuben Stacey
1935 reintroduction of Costigan Wagner bill - 7 week fillibuster

Question 14

New Deal, Southern Dems, and Civil Rights: Gavagan Bill

Answer 14

1937 Gavagan bill conincides with lynching of Townes and McDaniels April
Defeated in senate president faces backlash over recession
Rankin of Mississpi claims bill would encourage AA to rape white women

Question 15

Role of trade unions and left-wingers

Answer 15

Raise AA awareness of black political and economic power
75% of food, tobacco and agricultural workers union = AA and majority communist
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters set up by Randolf - 1925 had 15,000 members at peak and enabled communication and community

Question 16

FEPC (Fair Employment Practices Commission)

Answer 16

WW2 US industry focused on military industry and demand for black labour
Randolf threatens to bring DC to a halt unless there was equality in the armed forces and workplace, Walter White of NAACP supportive
Instead of integration FDR sets up FEPC in which 2 million AA were employed - southern dems decrease FEPC funding in 1943 and 2/3 of 80,000 job discrimination cases referred were dissmissed but did demonstrate importance of federal aid