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How Did The Great Depression Affect Black Minority Groups

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Elysia Laub May 8th, 2024 Dustin Hudak Dual Credit United States History The Extent to Which the Great Depression Affected Black Minority Groups The Great Depression was a period of economic disparity from 1929 to 1939. It followed World War I by about 11 years, but the war was the initial instigating factor of the depression. With money flying around to pay off war debts and reparations, stock markets abruptly crashed and chaos ensued, leading to astronomical unemployment, poverty, and hunger rates. While the Great Depression hit all American citizens tremendously, the effect it had on minority groups was more severe and different than most other groups. The Great Depression uniquely impacted black minority groups, causing economic discrepancy, …show more content…

All of the uproar and fighting for this case was caused by the strength and unity of the black community. By staying strong and sticking up for themselves, they were able to win more equality in court as well as contribute to the spark that began the Civil Rights Movement. During the Great Depression, the government tried to create plans to aid citizens through the hard times. While this somewhat helped most citizens, African Americans were neglected and not able to reap as many benefits from these plans. At the same time, they refused to outlaw popular hate crimes used against blacks. With the KKK at large again, this was detrimental to black communities. This showed the government’s ignorance of minority groups. A quote from a document about the Great Depression illustrates this neglection from President Roosevelt himself, “Roosevelt not only rejected such proposals as abolishing the poll tax and declaring lynching a federal crime, but he also refused to specifically target African American needs in any of his larger relief and reform packages.” With blacks finding themselves in such deep poverty in the

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