Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Fall/Section017/Arthur J. Moore

Overview

Arthur J. Moore was an African American male who grew up in the heart of the Great Depression. Growing up he lived with his parents who were farmers. Instead of going to college, Moore working at a laundry cleaning establishment. He eventually met his wife and had children. Unfortunately, the Great Depression greatly affected him and his family and he had to move from his house to an apartment. He spent the rest of his life taking care of his children and doing activities with his church.

Biography

Early Life

Arthur J. Moore was interviewed on July 14, 1939. He grew up in a farming household as one of sixteen children. Arthur's father was from Mississippi and his mother was from Alabama. Growing up, Arthur and his siblings were well off with the land their father farmed. They lived near town and would walk to school. Arthur attended grade school to the equivalence of seventh grade. He then attempted to get a college education but realized it wasn’t for him, so he started working. His first job was a presser at a cleaning establishment. During that time he met his wife and moved to be closer to her.

Later Life

Arthur eventually moved back towards his hometown with his wife and first child. He then had two more children. At first he did not have a job so he had to move his family in with his parents. Arthur was then offered a job at a laundry where he really enjoyed his work. He finally got enough money to move his family into their own home and officially start his life providing for his family. He was making good money during World War I and Arthur achieved one of his biggest goals in life: owning a house. Soon after, Arthur’s wife started remodeling on the house. Unfortunately, after many pay cuts due to the Great Depression, Arthur was not able to keep up with the payments and had to move his family to a small apartment. He remembers this as one of the most painful things he had to do. He regards this time of his life as one of the saddest moments in his adult life. Once moved, Arthur lived his adult life trying to get his children through school and attending church meetings to keep his mind busy. Most of his children did not want to finish college but Arthur did not force them because he never finished college. Church became one of the most important things in Arthur's life because of the community that he made and the distraction from the worldly troubles. Through all the ups and downs, Arthur believed in keeping a positive attitude despite life’s many disappointments and making the best of a situation, no matter the circumstance.

Social Issues

The Great Depression's affect on Black Americans

Many people regard the Great Depression as one of the most trying times in America. However, times were even tougher for African Americans. The racism that fueled the country contributed greatly to the economic hardships that African Americans were facing. With slavery being recently ended, there was still animosity between black and white people. Most of the time, Black Americans were let go from jobs before their white counterparts. The unemployment rates for Black Americans was at 50% in comparison to the 25% unemployment rate for white Americans. The slogan 'Last Hired, First Fired" was coined at this time to describe the economic struggle African Americans were facing. The Great Depression made everyone desperate for a job, so jobs that were typically low paying and held by many Black Americans were now sought by White Americans and given to them over Black people. Often times African Americans were even denied unemployment or charity funds because of their race. For the black people that were able to keep their job, their wages were cut significantly and not restored. The competition between whites and blacks during this time raised tension between the races. Lynching and racially charged violence greatly increased and the quality of life for black families decreased.

Flaws of the New Deal

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt enacted many new plans and policies in order to provide Americans ways to combat the economic hardship. For the most part, these polices were helpful in getting America out of the great depression, however Black people were counted out and even harmed from some of these polices. For example the Agricultural Assistance Agency crop subsidy program was meant to increase the cost of crops (especially cotton in the south) but reducing the amount of crops being produced. The government was supposed to pay farmers to reduce the amount of crop they produced but many Black farmers did not receive payment. They lost a lot of money during the farming season due to this program that singled them out while the white farmers were receiving their assistance from the government. There were many other New Deal programs that operated in the same way. Roosevelt failed to understand that his New Deal programs benefited people who were politically influential in some way and since Black People were not, they did not benefit from the programs like their white counterparts.

Bibliography

"Black Americans 1929-1941 ." Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression.  Encyclopedia.com. (September 22, 2021).

Boskin, Joseph. The Journal of American History 65, no. 1 (1978): 230–32.

Sundstrom, William A. “Last Hired, First Fired? Unemployment and Urban Black Workers During the Great Depression.” The Journal of Economic History 52, no. 2 (1992): 415–29.

“Unit 11 1930s: The Great Depression.” New Jersey State Library, March 29, 2021.

Wolters, Raymond. Reviewed Work: “Black Americans in the Roosevelt Era: Liberalism and Race” by John B. Kirby The Journal of American History 67, no. 3 (1980): 729–30.