What was society like in the 1930s America towards black people?
Segregation and discrimination were prevalent across this land, but in varying degrees. In the south there was a great deal of discrimination socially, politically and economically that was ingrained across the spectrum. Blacks were pretty much third class citizens. In the north it was the same, but there were the black-metropolises of Harlem in New York and Chicago where there was a bit more economic freedom and political clout. As well as the major industrial centres that at least offered the possibility of economic parity with a white person of the same stature.

Historic events 1930’s
In the Great Depression the American dream had become a nightmare. What was once the land of opportunity was now the land of desperation? What was once the land of hope and optimism had become the land of despair. The American people were questioning all the maxims on which they had based their lives - democracy, capitalism, individualism. The best hope for a better life was California. Many Dust Bowl farmers packed their families into cars, tied their few possessions on the back, and sought work in the agricultural fields or cities of the West - their role as independent land owners gone forever. Between 1929 and 1932 the income of the average American family was reduced by 40%, Instead of advancement, survival became the keyword. Institutions, attitudes, lifestyles changed in this decade but democracy prevailed.