Black culture and the New Deal : the quest for civil rights in the Roosevelt era / Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff.
"In the 1930s, the Roosevelt administration--unwilling to antagonize a powerful southern congressional bloc--refused to endorse legislation that openly sought to improve political, economic, and social conditions for African Americans. Instead, as historian Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff shows, the adminis...
Main Author: | |
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Language: | English |
Published: |
Chapel Hill, N.C. :
University of North Carolina Press,
[2009], ©2009.
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Online Access: | |
Physical Description: | 1 online resource (xiv, 312 pages) : illustrations |
Format: | Electronic eBook |
Summary: |
"In the 1930s, the Roosevelt administration--unwilling to antagonize a powerful southern congressional bloc--refused to endorse legislation that openly sought to improve political, economic, and social conditions for African Americans. Instead, as historian Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff shows, the administration recognized and celebrated African Americans by offering federal support to notable black intellectuals, celebrities, and artists. Sklaroff illustrates how programs within the Federal Arts Projects and several war agencies gave voice to such notable African Americans as Lena Horne, Joe Louis, Duke Ellington, and Richard Wright, as well as lesser-known figures. She argues that these New Deal programs represent a key moment in the history of American race relations, as the cultural arena provided black men and women with unique employment opportunities and new outlets for political expression. Equally important, she contends that these cultural programs were not merely an attempt to appease a black constituency but were also part of the New Deal's larger goal of promoting a multiracial nation. Yet, while federal projects ushered in creativity and unprecedented possibilities, they were also subject to censorship, bigotry, and political machinations."--Publisher's description. |
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Note: | Electronic resource. |
Call Number: | E185.6 .S62 2009eb |
Bibliography Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-299) and index. |
ISBN: | 9780807899243 0807899240 9781469604619 1469604612 |
Source of Description: |
Print version record. |