Unit 39.1 - Civil rights and race relations in the USA, 1850-2009
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Revision materials includes written essays to all the sample questions and from the core textbook, with some additional essays and source questions.
I got an A* in the new spec last year by writing these essays and the learning the points and examples; both the essays I answered, I had written for...
Unit 39.1 - Civil rights and race relations in the USA, 1850-2009
All documents for this subject (13)
3
reviews
By: ilsatahir04 • 1 year ago
By: michaelpage • 3 year ago
By: emilyholt27 • 5 year ago
Seller
Follow
Ben98JH
Reviews received
Content preview
NEW DEAL—1933–41
● The inflenne of solthern whites in the Demonratt aatrty.
To what extent were Southern Democrats responsible for hindering the civil rights of black Americans in the New Deal
(1933-41)?
Between 1933 and 1941 the exclusion of black voters, the contnuaton of the Jim Crow laws the failure of antillnching
legislaton, and the under representaton and discriminaton in New Deal Programmes. This was partalll the result of
presidental inacton, owes to a small extent to the acton of the Supreme Court, but primarill was due to the infuence of
Southern Democrats in Congress, and in the implementaton of votng and relief programmes at stateilevel.
Southern Democrats were verl signifcant in Congress and the failure of Congress to pass legislaton to ameliorate black
grievances. Southern whites were determined to maintain their social, economic and politcal hegemonl and their
dominaton of the Democratc Partl in the South helped the do so. Representng this consttuencl, the Solid South
phenomenon meant that the South’s singleipartl slstem led to the repeated electon of Southern Democrats. This gave
Southern Democrats a controlling infuence in a Democratc Congress because FDR could not pass legislaton without them.
Furthermore, because of their repressed reielecton, and the traditon of senioritl rule in both the House and the Senate,
Southern Democrats asserted control over half the commitee chairmanships, control of kel commitees, and leadership
roles in Congress. The President Pro Tempore, Carl Halden, and the House Speaker, Sam Ralburn, were Southern Democrats
and Haton Towers, who chaired the House Judiciarl Commitee was an implacable opponent to antillnching legislaton and
used his authoritl to thwart is passage. The Conservatve Manifesto represented a coaliton between southern Democrats
and Republicans to oppose further social and economic change and have them to necessarl votes to flibuster all anti
llnching bills. Even more racialll liberal Southern Democrats, such as Hugo Black felt thel had to wholeheartedll oppose it to
maintain the confdence of their state Partl and electorate, and other Democrats favoured partl unitl over the legislaton,
meaning a cloture moton could not be passed. As a result, Southern Democrats can be held to a large extent responsible for
the failure of antillnching legislaton.
Southern Democrats were most signifcant in hindering the civil rights of black Americans at stateilevel through the
contnuaton of Jim Crow Laws and restrictve voter practces which were posited bl Democratcicontrolled state legislatures
and through the implementaton of the New Deal, the administrators of which were patronage positons of Democratc
governors and legislatures. Between 1933 and 1941, most black Americans were unable to exercise the vote in the South, as
onll 3% were able to register bl 1941. Southern white registrar's used literacl tests and the poll tax to deter anl black
Americans that disregarded the violence and intmidaton and atempted to register. In additon, the use of white primaries
meant that black candidates in states such as Texas were barred from the Democratc nominaton and as a result of
Democratc dominaton of Southern Congressional representaton, could not represent southern states in Congress. In
additon to hindering black economic and social rights in writng New Deal legislaton, local administrators further hindered
black American civil rights. Rich white farmers dominated the countl commitees set up to administer AAA funds and
oppositon from southern Democrats in Congress and whiteidominated southern state governments forced the Roosevelt
administraton to withdraw black American representaton on FSA commitees, before Southern Democrats withdrew
funding from the agencl altogether. Blacks were underrepresented in the CCC because of governors, such as Eugene
Talmadge opposing black involvement. Consequentll, in the South, Southern Democrats were further responsible for the
hindrance of the civil rights of black Americans, where the populaton was concentrated.
However, the control of Southern Democrats if ofen overstated. Between the 1934 and 1938 midterms, Roosevelt was
assisted bl a liberal majoritl in both Houses. NoniSouthern Democrat majoritess270 noniSouthern Democrat
representatves and 71 noniSouthern Democrat senators should arguabll should have made it easier to pass bipartsan
llnching legislaton with Northern Democratc partes becoming increasingll racialll liberal and, with this liberal majoritl, he
did not need to the support of Southern Democrats for New Deal legislaton or the federal budget. However, Southern
Democrats were stll a large votng bloc, and the extent to which the northern Democratc Senators were racialll liberal and
given that it was the Senate flibuster that undermined the bills in 1936 and 1937, and a cloture moton requires a 60ivote
majoritl, it was stll easl for Southern Democrats to kill legislaton. Additonalll, the control of the Commitee slstem gave
them disproportonate infuence. Therefore, it is clear that Southern Democratc control was not so resolute and noni
southern Democrats also plaled a role in the failure of the New Deal to help black Americans.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Ben98JH. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.52. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
