Roosevelt Lake "If there could be any monument which would appeal to any man, surely this is it. You could not have done anything which would have pleased and touched me more than to name this great dam, this reservoir site, after me, and I thank you from my heart for having done so... As soon as it was done (the National Reclamation Act signed into law), ...I said, now I want this work divided fairly... and as Arizona and New Mexico have not any senators or congressmen and as I raised three-fourths of my regiment (Rough Riders) in New Mexico and Arizona, I will take their place, and now I want to see that they get a fair deal." 

Life and Effects on Minority Groups The New Deal Continued Life and Effects on Minority Groups

Life for African Americans in the Great Depression Switched their vote from Republican to Democrat FDR gave into discrimination Didn’t pursue Civil Rights for fear of losing votes in congress The Federal Housing Authority didn’t give mortgages to African Americans in white neighborhoods.

Continued Discrimination Although the CCC employed many African American men, they were still in segregated camps The AAA caused many sharecroppers to lose their jobs Still no support for anti-lynching bills Some African Americans in FDR’s administration

Life for Mexicans During the Depression About 400,000 Mexicans including citizens were shipped to Mexico Reduce relief Migrant workers rounded up and deported Texas and LA lost 1/3 of the Mexican populations Thousands more left voluntarily Some relief through the CCC and WPA

Native Americans during the Great Depression The Indian New Deal John Collier – commissioner of Indian Affairs Indian Emergency Conservation Program CCC and WPA

Indian Reorganization Act The Meriam Report Ended the Dawes Allotment Act Returned “surplus” land Self governance and tribal constitutions Repealed prohibition on Native languages and culture

Why the Navajo hate John Collier After their introduction by the Spanish, sheep quickly became an important part of Navajo culture. Sheep were not simply an impersonal herd For the Navajo, each animal had its own personality and characteristics. The wealth of a clan was counted by the size of its flock of sheep. In 1934, federal bureaucrats determined that Navajo Nation land was being overgrazed and ordered that the Navajo herds be reduced. http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1136

Stock Reductions On the Navajo Reservation, 148,000 goats and 50,000 sheep were sold. Not all of the goats could be delivered to the railhead, therefore some were slaughtered and the dried meat given back to the Navajo. Goats were simply shot and left to rot while some were shot and partially cremated by soaking them with gasoline and lighting it. In some instances, federal agents went out to the herds and often shot the animals before the eyes of astonished, grieving families. For the Navajo, this uncaring attitude toward a valuable resource seemed almost incomprehensible. The women, who were the owners of the herds, intensely criticized and condemned the government program. http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1136