Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Fall/105/Section 061/Eliza Grant

Biography
Eliza Grant was a black woman born in the late nineteenth century. She lived in the area of Raleigh, North Carolina known as the Oberlin section. She married a man named Andrew Grant and had three children of her own. Her husband died young; meaning she had to work even harder for little pay to keep her family in a decent position. She was able to build a nice house that she still lived in at the time of the interview – December 1938. On her land, she raised hogs that she was able to sell for tax money. Raising any kind of livestock during this time period would have been very tough work. The animals would need to remain as healthy as possible to sell for a good price, and thanks to the Great Depression, this price would have been far lower than before (Reinhardt 2003). Grant also worked as a midwife and took nursing very seriously; she would grow to love the children she cared for, even saying “‘the little ‘uns can git right to your heart even dough day ain’t your very own.’” (Fain) Throughout her life, Grant was a faithful Christian. This would have been common for African American individuals, especially in the South (Hill 2011). She spoke to God in a way that inspired her and helped her see the positive aspects of her life. (Fain) Eliza Grant lived a common life for a black woman at that time. She worked long, hard days to provide for the family that she loved so much.

Cultural Issues - Midwifery
Midwifery in the time after the Civil War was a very important career within the African American community. Women of color were often mistreated by white health professionals to the point where they were safer to give birth at home with a midwife. Midwifery was highly racialized in the early half of the twentieth century. White midwives became far less prominent, opening up the practice to criticism from the white community. In the south, however, African American women remained midwives for the white families they worked for, especially the lower-class ones unable to afford a good hospital. They would help the mother through her birth, making her as comfortable and safe as possible. Once the baby was born, the midwives would continue to care for the child as it got older. (Craven 2010)

Social Issues - Single Motherhood
Being a single mother in the early twentieth century would have been an extremely scrutinized situation. People believed it was a poor way to raise children, and that the family would be better fit with a father figure. This was especially true in the southeast region of the United States. The mother of a family was expected to be the “softer half of the parenting duo”. She was seen as the emotional, economically dependent parent. As for the families of freed slaves, this was nearly impossible to apply. Both parents would’ve had to keep one or more jobs in order to provide for their children, and even then, the family would not be able to live as comfortably as their white counterparts. (Vanderberg-Daves 2016)

Political Issues - Government and Military Interaction
In the southern region of the United States following the Civil War, racial and political tensions ran high. In North Carolina, federal military occupation continued into the late nineteenth century. Southerners were extremely hostile during and after the Civil War, they viewed the military occupation as “oppressive, callous, and radical” (Browning 2005). This was only heightened when race was taken into account. African Americans, and other people of color, were mistreated by the majority of white Americans. Although the Civil War technically freed all slaves, people of color were not given full freedoms or civil rights. They were often only able to work in jobs similar to those of slaves. These included farming, serving white families in their homes, and factory work. While working these jobs, they were getting paid a fraction of what the work deserved. With the money they earned, they were expected to pay the same price as the white individuals who made far more. This meant buying land, a home, or any large items would’ve taken months or years of saving. The government did little to help people of color between the end of the civil war and the Great Depression. The first real steps toward racial equality in the United States didn’t come until decades later.