Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2023/Fall/Section18/William and Corneal Jackson

Biography

Early Life

William and Corneal Jackson were black residents of Lakeland, Florida who worked as phosphate miners. Corneal Jackson was born in Key West on February 17, 1908 and had 4 sisters and 2 brothers: Bloneva, Flossie, Elvita, Mercedes, Leamrod and Elmore. She claimed to be incredibly proud of her family, not just because of their successes in the work field, but also because of how they took care of their mother after their father passed away. William Jackson was born to H.J. and Corine Jackson on November 28, 1905 in Ocala, Florida. William mentioned how, though education was a priority for him, he was unable to complete his. He attended school for 10 years, but was then forced to step away due to financial struggles after his father passed away in a car crash. Even after his death, William tried to study at home, teaching himself English and practicing bible study. He also mentioned that he worked many jobs, desperately trying to earn enough money to help support his family. Throughout their interview, the couple fails to complain about their unfortunate circumstances and instead maintain their positive outlook on life, eager to show a complete stranger around their small, broken down, comfortable home.

Later Life

William and Corneal Jackson live in a small, impoverished town in Lakeland, Florida. As stated in the article, the school was not in good condition; the kids played on a small square of ground, there was no ceiling in the interior of the building, the chair was wired together, and the bench was homemade and painful to sit on. William and Corneal did not specifically mention the school but the teacher claimed it was hard to sit on the bench all day and was constantly needing to borrow a seat, which is indicative that the level of education is similar to that of the school's - very poor. The interviewer, Paul Diggs, wrote about other members in the town besides the Jacksons. He wrote that one man was asked to stand in 12 inches of water while they mended the water line, causing him to turn dark while the women attempted to mend their sore backs from bending over wash tubs or tending to gardens all day. When Diggs finally speaks to William and Corneal, Corneal mentions how, since they don’t have a bathroom, they have to bathe in a galvanized tub, similar to a medium-sized silver tin, as William does during the time of the interview. While sharing their family histories, William mentions that if he and Corneal don’t agree, he will get another woman since there are too many women who want a working man, emphasizing his lack of appreciation for Corneal and instead his expectation that all women act as selfless and caring as her. As William mentions, he is not voting and that he likes the current administration as colored people have been more benefited by it than any other. He seems optimistic that as long as the next president is as favorable for Black Americans as President Roosevelt was, they will be alright. He fails to complain about their lack of voting rights, in addition to the racism he and Corneal face on a daily basis, and instead focuses on how people are beginning to rally around Black rights, unlike in the past.

Social Context

Family Life During the Depression

The roaring twenties was a time of economic prosperity and an increase in innovation and jazz. This was followed by a period of economic drought, called The Great Depression. During the lowest point of The Great Depression, nearly a quarter of the US workforce was unemployed and those still employed had their wages cut or worked reduced hours. Violent crimes initially spiked during the first few years of the Great Depression, but homicide and violent crimes' rates began to fall sharply between 1934 and 1937. Upper-class citizens recalled their wages were cut by 40% and families that were sitting comfortably now found themselves in economic despair. Because of the economic crises that occurred during the time, families were in a great amount of stress and anxiety and suicide rates raised to an all time high. Many teenagers even left home in search of work and became traveling hobos. Marriages were strained, though many couples could not afford to separate and divorce rates dropped with increased family abandonments. Some men abandoned their families out of embarrassment or frustration, which became known as a "poor man's divorce". Children were then forced to grow up in single parent households and faced additional stress, on top of that caused by the Depression. Growing up in single parent households has a large impact on family structure since children growing up with a single mother are shown to have “lower school achievement, more discipline problems and school suspension, less high school graduation, lower college attendance and graduation, more crime and incarceration (especially for boys), less success in the labor market, and more likely to become single parents themselves (especially for girls), thereby starting the cycle all over again for the next generation” .

Gender Roles in the 1930s

Women folding laundry

Before the Great Depression, the role of women "did not consist in “making stuff”, but rather in enabling their husbands to “make stuff”, by providing food, a clean living space, but also by providing the “nonmarket values”, such as love, friendship and mutual obligations" . The Great Depression not only lowered labor markets and threw people into a financial crisis, but additionally threatened the idea of masculinity. Not only were men unable to protect or provide for their families, but they were forced to depend on a woman as female employment "remained quite stable and even increased" as the markets that were most affected were ones that excluded women from working there to begin with . This caused drastic shifts in the family dynamics as the center of authority shifted to the wife, instead of the husband. This loss of power caused men to cease from sexual relations with their wives as they felt threatened and emasculated, and undeserving of this right as they were no longer working and supporting their wives. While this shift was beneficial to women, gender roles were no where close to being equal. For starters, they were forced to work in "highly seasonal industries", which meant they would have to work part-time or in constant fear that they could be fired at any minute . Married women were also discriminated against as they were shamed for leaving their families to work in a time of need and were blamed for taking men's jobs. Women who were seen to be competing with the men over the role of authority in the family were laid off as they were viewed as threats. While women's roles have progressively changed since then, there are many stereotypes and expectations of women that still exist, similar to some that stemmed during this time.

Footnotes

1. Kay Hymowitz, “Disentangling the Effects of Family Structure on Boys and Girls”, Institute for Family Studies. Published August 4, 2020.

2. Sabena Llaria, "Institutional change and the role of women during the Great Depression," Research Gate, August 2018, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332809804_Institutional_change_and_the_role_of_women_during_the_Great_Depression.

References

“Black Americans and the Vote.” National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/vote.

Clark, R., Guilmain, J., Saucier, P.K. et al. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Presence of Female Characters and Gender Stereotyping in Award-Winning Picture Books Between the 1930s and the 1960s. Sex Roles 49, 439–449 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:10258 20404277.

James Gregory. “Economics and Poverty”, The Great Depression in Washington State Project. Accessed October 6, 2023. https://depts.washington.edu/depress/economics_poverty .shtml.

Hymowitz, Kay. “Disentangling the Effects of Family Structure on Boys and Girls”, Institute for Family Studies. Published August 4, 2020. https://ifstudies.org/blog /disentangling-the-effects-of-family-structure-on-boys-and-girls.

Llaria Sabena. “Institutional change and the role of women during the Great Depression.” Research Gate. August 2018. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332809804

_Institutional_change_and_the_role_of_women_during_the_Great_Depression.

Konkel, Lindsay. "Life for the Average Family During the Great Depression." HISTORY.com. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://www.history.com/news/life-for-the-average-family-during-the-great-depression