Ch 12 sec 3 Life during the New Deal

I. New Roles for Women and African Americans Roosevelt appointed women to jobs that had never before gone to women. Frances Perkins was the first woman appointed to a cabinet position. They were in many new jobs, but wage and gender discrimination still continued, and many resented the new roles women had in society.

I. New Roles for Women and African Americans African Americans also had opportunities to work in FDR’s administration. A group of appointed officials became known as the Black Cabinet, and they unofficially advised the president. There was still much discrimination throughout the country, and the president was unwilling to address it for fear of political backlash from Southern Democrats.

I. New Roles for Women and African Americans This did not keep African Americans from turning their political loyalties from the Republican party to the Democrats.

II. Telling the Story of the Depression The themes of the Depression were expressed by artists during the time. The struggles of the poor and working class become the subjects of plays, songs, and literature. Dorothea Lange was a photographer who took photos of the jobless and rural poor. This would cause the government to help tenant farmers and sharecroppers.

II. Telling the Story of the Depression James Agee and Walker Evans worked together to show life for Southern sharecroppers in their work, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.

III. Popular Entertainment in the 1930s Even though times were tough, movies were relatively cheap entertainment. Radios were in a majority of homes as well, with a variety of programming. In million people were going to the movies each week. In the decade over 5000 movies were released.

III. Popular Entertainment in the 1930s Some movies depicted the plight of Americans during the Depression, but most were an escape from the reality of life. Musicals with dancers and depictions of wealth and opulence were very popular, as were comedies with Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers.

III. Popular Entertainment in the 1930s Animation took a step forward with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the use of color in films were a hit in The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. Radio was the media that entered the home. It was used by FDR for the fireside chats, as well as entertainment.

III. Popular Entertainment in the 1930s Serial dramas and comedies, sports broadcasts, and news programs were all listened to by everyone in the family. Radio connected everyone to each other. This was made evident by a radio show in Orson Welles produced a show called The War of the Worlds, based on an H.G. Wells novel of the same name.

III. Popular Entertainment in the 1930s It was done in the style of a news broadcast, and thousands of people believed the Earth was actually under attack by Martians. Music spread to wider audiences, and jazz became very popular. Jazz was a relief from the pain of the Depression, and people used to forget their suffering.

III. Popular Entertainment in the 1930s Sports were very popular, especially baseball and boxing. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio were huge stars in their day. Joe Louis was the boxing champion, and his fight in 1938 against Max Schmeling of Germany symbolized the rising tensions in the world.

In your notebook Research a movie from the 1930’s that either depicts the reality of life, or is an escape from reality. Give a summary of the plot, the main actors/actresses, and draw the poster for the movie.