New Deal Dbq

What did the New Deal really bring to the various social and ethnic groups? In some ways, the New Deal represented an important opportunity for many groups, but what they gained was limited. The discrimination and prejudice continued to plague them and to prevent their full and equal participation in national life.

Many women had a rough time during the years of the New Deal, they also experienced some victories. The New Deal allowed for unequal wages; Social Security, the NRA, & minimum wage laws offered little help for women. But, the New Deal had a positive impact on women’s roles in the government. For instance, President Roosevelt appointed Francis Perkins as Secretary of Labor which made her the first women to work in the cabinet. Not only that many women also gained significant administrative positions in New Deal programs. However, these welfare programs were purposely created for men and offered insufficient benefits toward women. The prohibition of the federal government from hiring members of the same family caused numerous unemployment for women. Not all women benefited from the New Deal because they were unemployed like before.

Many lost their jobs to unemployed whites. With the New Deal also came more misfortunes for African-Americans. The AAA offered white landowners cash for leaving their fields unharvested, however, the black sharecroppers and tenant farmers who actually worked the land never receive any cash. Even in the North, African-Americans found that the New Deal did not treat them as well as the whites. Aside the few setbacks, African-Americans did find respect in other areas of the New Deal, such as the Public Works Administration and the Farm Security Administration. Like women, some African-Americans were also appointed to government