Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Summer II/Section 01/Sam Jackson

Overview
Sam Jackson is a Turpentine Chopper in Stapleton, Alabama. He was interviewed in 1938 by Lawrence Evans for the Federal Writers' Project.

Biography
Sam Jackson was born circa 1916 into a family of turpentine workers. He never went to school and, at the age of sixteen, he started working at the same turpentine chopper his father worked at. He and his wife Lou are the parents of a boy and a girl, called “Boy” and “Gal” and live in a country slum in Stapleton, Alabama. His days are spent is chopping around 1500 trees for their turpentine and earning 6 dollars per week. Being paid so little for so much work, he and his family are barely getting by, sometimes having to sacrifice a day’s food or borrow from the foreman. They don’t have access to medicine, proper food, or nice clothing. They live their lives in their own bubble within the southern community and haven't been to town in over a year. Jackson and his family's lives are dictated by the “Boss Man”, the owner of the land who pays them to chop trees in return for housing. It is because of his boss's influence that Jackson believes that voting is a job for the woods-riders and landowners, not for the African American turpentine workers.

The African American Working-Class and the “Hidden Transcript” during Jim Crow


Even though slavery was over and all of the black slaves were freed, racial discrimination and oppression were still abundant throughout the entire country, not just the South. New laws, called “ Jim Crow” laws, allowed, and sometimes even supported, racial discrimination in politics, society, and even the workplace. This meant that, even though slavery was over, the lifestyles of many people in the South didn’t change. Very few African Americans received land, and the vast majority were subject to a slavery-like system in sharecropping, with no upward mobility. Most African Americans in the South were stuck being supervised by white landlords on plantations again. This practice continued through the early 1930s and was only altered once the Great Depression hit. In addition to job restrictions, politics played a huge part in preventing upward mobility during the Jim Crow era. Politics was one of the topics that appeared more in “hidden transcript” rather than in mainstream society. “Hidden transcript” is when criticism of oppressors is emphasized in folklore, jokes, songs, and other cultural practices but not mentioned outright to the oppressor. This “hidden transcript” method is how many of the working-class were united in their efforts to resist their oppression. The African American working-class came together in communities and turned segregation into “congregation”. This movement gained real steam during the Great Migration, where, these “hidden transcripts” helped unite the working-class in a call to action.

The Great Migration during the Great Depression
The Great Migration is a term describing the movement of African Americans from the South to the North during the early-to-mid 20th century. The movement stemmed from African Americans' increased opportunities for unskilled labor in the North due to World War I and continued as a result of the limited job opportunities, terrible working conditions, and racial oppression in the Jim Crow South. While this movement was slowed during the Great Depression, many African American families were left in need of money and a job after being the first to be fired. Landlords in the South who rented out their land expelled African American farmers and families from their land. Not finding work in the rural South, African Americans moved out in droves to cities where there were more opportunities. By 1940, 1.75 million African American residents had moved to northern and western cities. The movement affected northern life greatly as it increased the number of African Americans in urban environments, leading to increased discrimination and poverty in the country’s biggest cities. Though some found work, the unemployment rate of African Americans remained mostly the same with many unskilled jobs being lost even in the largest industrial towns. However, the Great Migration would prove critical for change as the immense amount of African American poverty in many of the country's largest cities provided an opportunity for politicians, especially Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to create change. Though not much action was taken initially, the Great Migration stirred up long term racial issues through economic and labor protests that would prove critical for the passing of the New Deal, the activism throughout the Great Depression, and serve as inspiration for the  civil rights movement.

The New Deal’s Effect on African Americans and activism
The Great Depression made African Americans’ bad situation under Jim Crow, worse. The “Last Hired, First Fired” mentality drove many to migrate North. African Americans suffered the highest unemployment rate during the 1930s, especially when it came to unskilled labor. They faced unemployment of 50 percent or more, which is 20 percent higher than white workers. Their wages were also at least 30 percent below those of white workers. These low wages and tense conditions meant the lives of African Americans were rapidly degrading and becoming more and more dangerous. This was one of the many factors that led to the Great Migration. However, throughout the 1930s, activism for economic and social equality was spurred by the New Deal. The New Deal paved the way for organizations such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the  Works Progress Administration to provide education and jobs to many young African Americans. Providing low-cost housing was another huge opportunity provided to African Americans as a result of the New Deal. This may sound good at first, but the majority of New Deal policies still allowed discrimination. Policies such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act pushed African American farmers off of land they previously worked on. The Federal Housing Administration was allowed to refuse mortgages to discourage African Americans from living in White neighborhoods. Even the Social Security Act excluded many jobs that were common in the African American community. Yet, though the New Deal programs were still discriminatory in some ways, its mere existence brought more attention to the racial inequalities in the country. Political engagement opportunities for African Americans increased across the country as more and more people became empowered. Throughout the classes, African Americans became more aware of the segregationally practices that lined society and the government through new mediums such as black newspapers and journals. White figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt’s massive support for smaller African American activists such as Mary McLeod Bethune brought the civil rights issue into the mainstream media.