History 573

Stephen Royal

And a Time for Hope by James R. McGovern

Introduction. In the introduction, the author sets the tone for the chapters to follow by establishing that rather than one longer historical narrative which effectively summarizes the Depression, the book would, in essence, consist of thirteen essays on different topics that were connected to the Depression era. It also briefly discusses the Depression as one part of a much longer narrative, and uses this to explain the sense of optimism in the nation, in spite of the Depression.

Chapter One. A Troubled Nation, 1929-1934. The first chapter covers the economic issues that the nation experienced as the stock market crashed and the nation entered the Depression. It gives statistics on unemployment, the steel industry’s decline – (1920 225,000 full time workers, in 1932 19,000 employees, zero full time employees in 1933) bank closures (5,000 banks fail between 1929 and 1932), foreclosures (1933 – 45% of farms were delinquent). It also sets the tone for Roosevelt’s presidency, citing the famous inaugural line “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Chapter Two. The President. This chapter discusses Roosevelt’s character and how he seized the presidency from President Hoover who was not as vested in helping Americans through the Depression. The chapter shows how, in the minds of the citizens, Roosevelt represented a more humane form of government, and that the citizens responded to his leadership and charisma by making him into a hero and elevating him to the level of saint. The chapter devotes time to his upbringing, specifically going into detail about the profound influence of his mother, his battle with polio, and the efforts he went through to compensate for the effects that the disease had on his body

Chapter Three. The New Deal. Chapter three summarizes the first hundred days of Roosevelt’s first term and focuses specifically on the programs associated with the New Deal. It shows how, as the decade progressed, Americans began to see an improvement in their standard of living. The Gross National Product had risen to $90 billion by 1937 (up $25 billion from 1934), Unemployment fell below 17% from 1933 – 1939. There was an increase in work-age Americans during the ‘30s (500,000 reached 18 years of age each year). Roosevelt tied recovery to the moral preeminence of the common good (community). McGovern demonstrates how Roosevelt believed that government was the moral agent of the community. The chapter also traces the development of programs including: National Recovery Act (NRA), Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), the Civilian Works Administration (CWA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Chapter Four. The American Scene. This chapter is devoted to the idea of Hope. It takes this idea and shows how through art, music, photography, and literature, the American spirit was persevering through the difficult times. Some of these creative statements have found their ways into current textbooks and serve as the symbol of American strength (Example: Dorothea Lange’s photograph titles “Migrant Mother). The chapter also reported statistics that seemed to suggest that people were doing better towards the end of the decade. (Life expectancy, for example, rose from 57.1 years in 1929 to 63.7 years in 1939.)

Chapter Five. Small Worlds Sustained. Chapter five recounts how, even though the cities were growing at a rapid rate, nearly half of Americans (49.1%) lived in communities of less than 8,000 people. With 45 % of those living in rural territory (less than 2,500). It also shows how the industrial revolution hit the farming industry which cost many jobs and a subsequent migration to the cities. (The tractor was the single invention that cost the greatest number of farm jobs.) The inventions of the automobile and movies had the effect of glorifying life in the cities, fanning the migration away from the country. Near the end, the chapter returns to those who remained in the farming industry and explains how those few families essentially took care of each other during the depression. The chapter concludes by demonstrating how religion provided solace and a way to cope during the hard times.

Chapter Six. Rural Worlds Confirmed. This chapter examines the experiences of the Okies who migrated to California after the crop failed and the dustbowl made farming in Oklahoma and other places impossible. It notes how the work of Dorothea Lang and John Steinbeck immortalized the plight of the Okies, though McGovern also shows that Steinbeck got the Okies’ story largely incorrect. The chapter recounts how when the farmers arrived in California, they were greeted with hostility by the farmers they met. Additionally, the different crops, and growth cycles required them to learn a new trade and adapt to a new and unwelcoming environment. This is understandable when one considers that the Okies added 60% to the populations of some small towns

Chapter Seven. African Americans in the Cotton South. Chapter Seven focuses on the experiences of African Americans during the Depression, noting how the farmers who worked in the lower Cotton South occupied the poorest region of the United States. The chapter describes the ways African American were “ensnared in a comprehensive and exceptionally hostile racial system, designed and enforced to perpetuate their poverty.” The chapter shows how the New Deal did not substantially improve the material life or opportunities for southern rural blacks. The chapter closes by discussing the emergence of the NAACP and W.E.B Du Bois.

Chapter Eight. Seeing Tomorrow. Chapter eight details the inventions and technological marvels that transformed the era, starting with a description of some of the inventions on display at the two World’s fairs of the 1930s in New York and Chicago. A striking figure of 85 million people attended these fairs when the national population was less than 130 million. The chapter outlines the formation of America’s building projects that all seemed to have a common theme: size mattered. The chapter offers a glimpse at the building of the Hoover dam (1933) and the TVA among other public work projects, all of which gave rise to new towns and roadways. McGovern also discusses the skyscrapers of the ‘30s – most notably the 1,472-foot Empire State Building, completed in 1931. In a telling line, he remarks, “Skyscrapers and optimism were virtually inseparable” The chapter devotes its second half to the developing train industry as well as the airlines, each of which had gone through major renovations for comfort and accessibility during the 1930’s.

Chapter Nine. Americans Go to the Movies. The films of the 1930s drew massive crowds as people across the nation went to the theater to view what amounted to symbolic statements about how Depression Americans felt and what they believed. Earning the title of “entertainment capital of the world,” Hollywood produced over 5,000 films during the 1930s. Gangster films proved very popular as they depicted a nation awash with crime. This crime was certainly reflective of the organized crime that had developed during the prohibition years. The Marx brothers charged onto the scene during the ‘30s with their anarchic, subversive brand of humor, however, from 1934 on, Hollywood films took on a much more conservative approach, reflecting to a greater extent the family values of America which won greater acceptance in the marketplace.

Chapter Ten. American Listens at Home. Chapter ten discusses the impact of the radio on American culture. Described as the “Golden Age,” the 1930s saw radio become the source of the national morale. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) absorbed stations across the nation and both standardized and raised the quality of the programming, all the while earning huge fees from advertising. It was estimated that in 1930 86% of American homes had at least one radio and that they were tuned in for an average of 4 ½ hours per day. Again, the dominant theme of the broadcasting was family oriented programs. The ‘30s saw the start of the day time soap opera shows. Women naturally were the main audience and characters for these shows while male characters were relegated to minor supporting roles. The ‘30s also marked the debut of the Hero in radio, most notably the Lone Ranger.

Chapter Eleven. American Workers. This chapter focuses largely on the plight of the American worker during the ‘30s. It recounts the formation of the Unions and some of the tensions that came with them. The unions offered some job security and leverage with the large corporations that had become more dependent on machinery. The bulk of the chapter discusses the two largest union federations – the AFL and CIO, the latter of which was closely linked to the Democratic party.

Chapter Twelve. Urban Support Systems. The twelfth chapter examines the make up of the American cities and the ways in which immigrants tended to form communities and neighborhoods within the cities. These communities often preserved the cultural traditions and language of the homeland. If one adds the 14 million people in America born abroad (which constituted more than 10% of the nation’s population) to the native born Americans who had one or both parents born abroad, the total percentage of immigrants and their offspring had reached 30% of the U.S. population by 1940. Immigrants and their children made up an estimated 73% of New York, living in such neighborhoods as Little Italy, Little Bohemia, and Little Hungary. The powerful cooperative relationships that these communities brought to America were eminently practical. They produced tangible benefits and conferred a sense of corporate and community strength.

Chapter Thirteen. Appeal of the Great Cities. The growth of the cities during the 1930s offered reassurance to their inhabitants, especially those in the big metropolitan cities. Because the cities tended to have the most modern conveniences (electricity and hot running water, for example), people living in the cities tended to enjoy a higher standard of living. New York City was the centerpiece of urban America. New York, population 10 million, offered the best of everything: professional sporting teams, Broadway musicals, museums, theaters, and public transportation that made all of it accessible to the average person.