Lecture 11. Depression and Double V

American History: From Emancipation to the Present (AFAM 162)

The 1930s was a decade filled with economic, legal, political, and social controversy. In this lecture, Professor Holloway looks at the Great Depression and the federal government's responses to it, including the New Deal's impact on African Americans, both materially and symbolically. As the federal government openly courted their favor, African Americans organized various political groups to monitor federal activities. In the second portion of the lecture, Professor Holloway examines the achievements of the Black Cabinet, the injustices of the Scottsboro Boys' case, and the efficacy of the "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work" campaigns, led in Washington, D.C., by the New Negro Alliance. As much as the 1930s were about retrenchment for African Americans, they also reflected new political possibilities and new forms of political expression within black America. Thus, as Professor Holloway reveals, the roots of the modern civil rights movement are all part and parcel of New Deal America.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: The Great Depression and its Aftermath
03:30 - Chapter 2. The New Deal
14:38 - Chapter 3. The Black Cabinet
20:25 - Chapter 4. The Scottsboro Boys
38:07 - Chapter 5. The New Negro Alliance

Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: online.yale.edu


This course was recorded in Spring 2010.