Prejudice and Discrimination During the Depression Era and the Dust Bowl

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The Black population and the Hispanic population faced great discrimination and prejudice. Since, these populations were not considered to be part of the white folk, they did not have much freedoms or privileges. America viewed the Hispanic and Black population as not being a part of the US.
During the Civil War generation, Black population were enslaved to work in the plantations and serve the white men or population. They were treated like animals, and were forced to do extreme tough labor. The Black population had limited rights or privileges. For example, Blacks were not allowed to vote, buy land, obtain good jobs or careers, and speak freely. According to the short reading “A Different Mirror” by Ronald Takaki, a white owner during the Civil War stated, “I have men, who were slaves on the place…. They always lived there and will probably die there, right on the plantation where they were born.” Blacks were viewed as individuals without a purpose or viewed as nothing, like they had no value. Blacks faced great punishment if they spoke out or acted out against a white individual. The great punishments they faced were lashings on the backs, put into shackles, were chained to the ground, and other horrible punishments. (Black Peoples of America- Slave Punishments) A Black individual explained, “My father was born and brought up as a slave. He never knew anything else until after I was born. He was taught his place and was content to keep it. His father said, “When a young white man talks rough to me, I can’t talk rough to him. You can’t stand that; I can’t. “(Takaki) However, on January 1, 1963, the Emancipation Proclamation was passed by Abraham Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation stated, that all slaves would be set free. (...

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... J. (2011). AFRICAN AMERICANS AND PAROLE IN DEPRESSION-ERA NEW YORK. Historical Journal, 54(4), 1065-1086. doi:10.1017/S0018246X11000392
3. Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown &, 1993. Print.
4. Depression Era: 1930s: Repatriation for Mexican & Filipino Farm Workers. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. .
5. "Unit 11 The 1930s: The Great Depression." Welcome. New Jersey State Library, 12 Jan. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .
6. "Black Peoples of America - Slave Punishments." Black Peoples of America - Slave Punishments. Historyonthenet, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. .

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