New Deal, New Promises

As I watched this slide show, I couldn't believe how many creations of the New Deal I had visited. I never realized that the San Antonio River Walk and Lincoln Tunnel were created as a result of the New Deal in the 1930s. These projects continue to attract millions of people each and every year. The New Deal brought about many positive changes. For instance, certain minorities were gaining power. Figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt advocated for womens' rights. She was the most powerful woman to ever hold the title of "First Lady." Although women were being treated better in some areas of their lives, other aspects had not changed. Because so many men had joined the army or lost their lives during the war, an increased number of women were responsible for supporting their families. Some men believed that the women holding steady jobs were stealing mens' work. They were outraged that women were allowed to have the same occupations as them. This showed that despite the fact that Americans were trying to move forward, some parts of society plateaued. Another group that was still persecuted was African Americans. Due to the WPA, blacks were given more job opportunities. However, they faced a lot of discrimination on the job. They had proven that they were able to accomplish their work as effectively as whites, but they were not given anywhere near equal recognition. Economically, the New Deal seemed to be serving its purpose. Morally, though, it had not made any significant strides.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

It scares me to know that police were collaborating with Doc Graham, one of the most powerful gangsters of his time. He said, “Oh, many policemen in that era were thieves. Legal thieves. I accepted it as such and performed accordingly. We didn’t have no problems. It was an era where there was no bread on the table by my endeavor or they put the bread? I performed with a hundred policemen in my time” (110). The individuals who were supposed to be protecting the public from men like Doc Graham were instead working with him in order to survive. This shows how truly desperate citizens were if they were willing to risk their jobs and even their lives in order to put food on the table. It was sad to know that many honest, hardworking citizens were struggling to survive while troublesome gangsters were living the high life. Doc Graham said, “I lived from the bottom to the top. I lived as good as you could live. I run the gamut of having a butler and a chauffeur to a flop joint, into an open car over night” (112). Doc Graham was cheating members of society when people had little to spare. Their limited funds went toward supporting his expensive lifestyle.

Arthur A. Robertson discussed how he watched the richest men crumble to pieces. He and those he associated himself with used to count millions like an average citizen counted pennies. For instance, a man named Jesse Livermore used to say, “Young man, what’s the use of having ten million if you can’t have big money!” (102). People of this social standing were so greedy while the rest of the country was suffering from poverty. Nothing was ever enough, and they set out to make more and more money. However, when they crashed, they hit rock bottom much harder than the average citizens. In fact, Livermore commit suicide after going bankrupt. This shows how difficult it was for people to accept their bad fate and deal with the situation at hand. People didn’t know where their next meal was coming from or what the future held. Some, like Livermore, thought it would be much easier to just leave the world in order to make all of their problems go away.

The Bright Side vs. The Dark Side

Wouldn't you expect the man who is discriminated against each and everday to be more unhappy than the common white man? Wouldn't the man who is treated unjustly view America with a sense of distate, rather than with pride and glory? Because Vernon Jarrett, an African American newspaper writer, was appreciative of every signel opportunity provided to him, he viewed America in a more positive light than C.P. Ellis, a former klansman. Jarett wrote, "The thing I remember about these folks was the immense dignity and pride in the way they walked. They walked like straight sticks. They made us stand like that. This always slays me, that all of us had to stand erect" (52). The young African American children were taught to walk around with class and be proud of their background. The white children took their lives for granted and did not show appreciation for all that they were given. Ellis seemed to have mixed up priorites. For instance, he said, "My father worked hard but never had enough money to buy decent clothes. . .I always left school late afternoon with a sense of inferiority. The other kids had nice clothes, and I just had what Daddy could buy. I still got some of those inferioirty feelin's now that I have to overcome once in a while" (63). Instead of focusing his attention on worthy causes, Ellis, like many other whites, channeled his energy toward keeping up with others. He failed to appreiciate the fact that he lived in the super power of the world with endless opportunities at the end of his fingertips. Instead, he found it easier to view his homeland with pessimism and complain about his perceived misfortunes. It is truly fascinating how those who have really experienced the unpleasant times are easily able to recognize the good times, whereas those who have been pampered forever cannot seem to see the light of day.