Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Summer II/Section 013/Lola Roberts

Biography:

Overview:

Lola Roberts, a white female, was interviewed for the Federal Writer’s Project in 1939 by Douglas Carter. Carter titled the interview, “Neurotic,” based off Roberts’ history of psychological breakdowns.

Early Life:

Roberts was raised in the North in a wealthy family where she did not have to work. Her mother stayed at home with the children, and her father worked diligently in order to provide for his family. When her father died, he left the family a $10,000 inheritance and the family moved several times throughout the North. In New Jersey, Roberts met and married a man after a short and reckless courtship, against her mother’s wishes. Due to her mother’s disapproval, the newlyweds were forced to move away from Robert’s family. When they settled down, they had two daughters together, Helen and Alice. Although he provided for them, Mr. Roberts was not loving towards his wife and daughters, and the marriage drove Mrs. Roberts into a weak mental state where she suffered many psychological breakdowns.

Later Life:

Roberts believed her husband was not loyal, and she accused him of cheating on her, and he became violent. Roberts tried to save the marriage because she and her daughters were financially dependent on her husband. He fought for a divorce, and after much wavering, Mrs. Roberts finally agreed. Mr. Roberts moved far from his family and quit communicating with them. This caused Roberts to endure many mental breakdowns. Roberts’ husband eventually committed suicide after suffering financial issues when his business failed during the Great Depression. A widow and an ex-wife, Roberts still managed to receive a monthly life insurance payment of $150, and she did not have to work. She packed up her and her daughters’ belongings and moved to Asheville, North Carolina. There she began living in different hotels until she was able to settle down and find an affordable home for her family.

Social Issues:

Mental Health During the Great Depression:

The Great Depression was a time of economic loss that fed into shame. In the decade before, people based their value off what they possessed, but when the market crashed, everyone suffered greatly. Workers and providers could no longer support their families due being out of a job or having to sell the land they lived on. Although some of the wealthier and more fortunate did not suffer as greatly, the psychiatrist's offices were filled with people from the upper class trying to cope with the market crash. Many people were unable to seek professional help during this timer, which led suicides rates reaching a national all time high. Suicide rates increases as unemployment increased in the 1930s. Not only was suicide prevalent during the Great Depression, but so was psychosis. The loss that was suffered literally drove people to madness. Roberts and many others suffered neurological breakdowns due to high stress and poor diets. This left families even more unfit to work, forcing them to rely on government handouts, which was often frowned upon. All of these things, and more, took a massive toll on the American peoples physical and mental health, leading to increases psychosis and neuroticism during the Great Depression.

Feminism During the Great Depression:

In 1919, the 19th amendment was passed that allowed women to vote. This played an important role in first wave feminism in the 1920s. Women’s rights had increased, and they were seen as a functioning part of society rather than just cleaners and pleasers. When the Depression hit in 1929, support for women’s rights declined as the view of women changed yet again. The traditional belief that women belonged in the house rather than the workplace grew as men lost their jobs. It was believed that women should return to the house in order for men to take jobs that they held. The government became so fixated on the economy that the Equal Rights Amendment was hardly discussed nor enforced, even those it was introduced to Congress in 1923. In 1932, a law was passed that forced women out of the workplace even further. This American anti-nepotism law stated that only one spouse was allowed to work in the government. Although the law did not specifically discriminate against women, three out of four who were fired in accordance to this law were women. During this time of economic turmoil, it was impossible for women to created a unified push towards equal rights, forcing them to leave their jobs and enter the homes again.

Bibliography

• Batchelor, Bob. "Psychological Impact of the Great Depression." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. Vol. 2. (2004): 777-779. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/apps/doc/CX3404500431/GVRL?u=unc_main&sid=GVRL&xid=a78e5411.
• Granados, Jose and Roux, Ana. “Life and death during the Great Depression.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106, no. 31 (October 2009): 17290-17295. https://www.pnas.org/content/106/41/17290.
• Interviewer Carter, Douglas on Lola Roberts, February 21, 1939, Folder 318, Federal Writing Project Papers, Southern Historical Collection, UNC Chapel Hill.
• Moran, Mickey. “1930s, America - Feminist Void?” The Student Historical Journal. Vol. 20 (1989): 1. http://people.loyno.edu/~history/journal/1988-9/moran.htm.