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Racial Considerations and Social Policy in the 1930s

Economic Change and Political Opportunities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2016

John Brueggemann
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Social policy that emerged from the New Deal era continues to shape race relations and politics today. Since the 1930s, scholars have debated the net effect of the New Deal on racial inequality. On the one hand, the social policies of the 1930s are viewed as a great step toward a racially inclusive society (Myrdal 1944; Wolters 1975; Sitkoff 1978, 1985; Ezell 1975; Patterson 1986; Weiss 1983). In contrast to previous eras and political regimes,Roosevelt's New Deal reflected a qualitatively different sense of government's responsibility toward its citizens, including African Americans. Alternatively, New Deal era social policy is considered a crucial component in the structure of American racial stratification (Lewis 1982; Rose 1993; Quadagno 1994; Valocchi 1994; Brown 1999).The legislative record of the New Deal was consistently racialized and discriminatory.Welfare policy, in particular, actively excluded and subjugated blacks. These contrasting portrayals reflect the ambiguity of the New Deal legacy of race relations.

Type
Articles
Information
Social Science History , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , Spring 2002 , pp. 139 - 177
Copyright
Copyright © Social Science History Association 2002 

Footnotes

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I am grateful to Cliff Brown, Jennifer Delton, Rory McVeigh, Joya Misra, and the reviewers and editors of Social Science History for helpful critique of this essay. I would also like to thank Geraldine Osnato for research assistance.

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