African American Women In The 1930's

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“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This quote comes from the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. America’s founding fathers created the Declaration of Independence so people of the United States could live a long and prosperous life, living in harmony with one another. African-Americans, especially slaves, didn 't have even a chance to pursue happiness, much less a right. The harsh reality is that there were many groups in the 1930s, and today, that are discriminated against in their daily lives. Women were supposed to stay in their houses all …show more content…

Secondly, discrimination against women was also a huge problem in the 1930s. Women were considered the weaker sex and were left to do things like housework and taking care of children instead of working out in the fields. In the novella, Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is told she should just stay in the house where she belongs. Women should have as equal opportunities as men to get a job and be given the same pay. Women were forced to take jobs that hadn’t been taken by men such as schoolteachers. This shouldn’t have been the case; women can do just as good of a job as men working jobs like farming. African-American women were also discriminated against; they would take jobs as maids and servants. It is horrifying that women would be treated like they could do nothing; it must have been very frustrating. Although many women did not question that way of life, there were some who hated it. In the article “Women and the Great depression” in the Gilmer Lehrman Institute of American History, Susan Ware wrote, “Women who sought relief or paid employment risked public scorn or worse for supposedly taking jobs and money away from more deserving men.” That quotation puts into perspective how women were treated as inferior to men. Women have also come a long way from the 1930s; they are now able to get almost any job they want. However, there still is a wage gap, and many men think they are better than women. In conclusion, women were not treated as equals to men, but they were still treated better than