Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Summer II/Section 10/Samuel Brown Barnwell

Overview

Samuel Brown Barnwell mainly lived in rural and suburban North Carolina. He made his living making caskets and, later, as an interior decorator and painting contractor. Barnwell was a white, Christian man who was interviewed in 1938 as a part of the Federal Writer’s Project.

Biography

Early Life

Samuel B. Barnwell was born in Alamance County, North Carolina on July 1st, 1875. His father farmed tobacco and owned a leather shop where Barnwell would often play as a child. Barnwell, like most children, was taught basic academics through a combination of home-schooling and annual two-month periods of free public schooling. Barnwell’s father later sent Barnwell to the private “Rosewood Academy” which was the only way to receive today’s equivalent of a high school education.

Adult Life

When Barnwell turned eighteen, he started working in the casket business, and one year later, in 1896, Barnwell married Amy Forbes. By 1902, Barnwell had worked for various casket companies, one of which he saw his boss and co-worker duel over fifteen cents. After leaving the casket business, Barnwell would spend the rest of his professional life working as an interior decorator and painting contractor in Beaumont, North Carolina. By the time the Great Depression rolled around, Barnwell had saved enough money to live comfortably. Before and during the Great Depression, Barnwell believed that Christianity was on a decline. Barnwell worried for the faithless youth because he believed that “men must worship something”, and if not God, man “must worship flesh.” Barnwell was a Christian himself, and he believed his faith in God was what instilled his moral code within him. Barnwell died February 10th, 1960.

Historical Context

Religion and the Great Depression in the South

By the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, there was a noticeable decline in religious participation among the youth. One Canadian newspaper article blamed the lack of faith on sin which had “spread through the community” and “[undermined] faith.” Once the Depression hit those in the rural South, church leaders were turned to for support. Church leaders initially viewed the Depression “as a sign of spiritual decline” and suggested that people increase their devotion to the Christian God. However, the Southern economy continued to worsen, so religious leaders began to embrace New Deal policies “to consolidate power.” Conversely, there were religious groups that made positive economic and social impacts among the impoverished rural communities. For example, a “Christian socialist ideology” backed the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union which helped black and white sharecroppers among the New Deal farm programs which “typically aided large farm owners but eliminated opportunities for sharecroppers, tenants, and farm workers.”

The New Deal’s Effect on Americans

The New Deal aimed to reform the American economy through the establishment of various Acts and Associations. Much of the effects of the New Deal provided funds to “temporarily sustain the unemployed.” To sustain those employed in industry, acts such as the National Labor Relations Act gave power to the workforce by forcing large companies to listen to the wage and hour demands of their workforce. Also, the idea of a “wealth tax” was introduced in 1935 as a New Deal policy. A family making $4,000 (top 10%) would only pay $16 in taxes whereas a family making $12,000 (top 1%) would pay $600 in taxes. Also, John D. Rockefeller was in his own tax bracket as he made over $5 million, and he would pay a 79% income tax. Americans were pleased or at least trusted in Roosevelt’s New Deal as he “overshadowed lesser figures in the national elections.” However, World War II seemed to break Americans out of the economic hole, not the New Deal. Deficit spending had grown from $4.2 billion in 1936 to $53 billion in 1943. Throughout the 1930’s the unemployment rate averaged at 17%, and “never went below 14% until World War II.”