Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Summer/105/Section 03/Sydney May Davis

Overview

Sydney May Davis was a boarding house mistress from a small town in a Texas until she moved to Birmingham, Alabama in the early 1900s. Bennett Marshall interviewed her on October 7, 1938 as part of the Federal Writers' project. [1]

Biography

Early Life

Sydney May Davis grew up in a small town in Texas as the youngest and "wildest" of three children.[2] Although the exact date of Davis’ birth is unknown, one can assume from given research that she spent time growing up in the late 1800s, through the first world war and into the Great Depression.

Adulthood

Davis was interviewed for the Federal Writers’ Project on October 7, 1938 in Birmingham, Alabama.[3] At the time, Davis was a white female holding a small job as a boarding house operator to be able to make ends meet for her family which consisted of a husband and one son. [4] She married her first husband, a doctor named John, at a fairly young age. John had told her that he would help her get into classes for her to become a doctor, but he pushed these promises to the side right after their marriage. John died of typhoid when he was only twenty two, and Davis remarried a man named Will. [5] They decided to move to Birmingham together. Davis had worked little jobs here and there throughout her lifetime including being a telephone operator and working in a real estate office during World War I. [6] After she and Will moved to Birmingham, they converted their house into a place for boarders to stay and pay their rent of seven dollars a week per person. Davis claims that they wouldn’t have been able to survive during the Depression without the boarders, or inhabitants. [7] With that money, they could survive and even afford to send her son, John Jr., to medical school at Howard College and pay for his divorce. John Jr.’s kids went to live with Sydney Davis and Will Davis after his divorce. Will Davis had not been able to work much since the start of the 1930s, as he had the palsy, which consisted of shaking and paralysis. Mrs. Davis did not expect her husband to live much longer. After finishing her short personal life story, Mrs. Davis decided not to speak anymore, as she had become “tired with the contemplation of existence.” [8] Davis was an unusual character according to her neighbors. [9] Over sixty years old, she showed a great deal of interest in her age and how long she would live. She did not like to consider herself old.[10] Because she had lost the will to live, she did not recall the past very well and couldn't care less about the future, hence why her story in the Writers' Project did not hold a lot of information.

Sociopolitical Issues

Gender Equality

Gender equality was a prominent issue of the Great Depression era, and it is still an issue in society today. During this time period of the Depression, women were not highly regarded in society in comparison to men, which was a major social issue. “Ironically, during the Depression when more women than ever needed to support themselves or their families, female wage earners were often depicted as harridans who were out to steal men's jobs.” [11] Women were trying to find their way in the workplace only to be neglected and pushed aside by men. Although jobs were hard to come by during the Great Depression, both men and women were constantly searching for them in order to keep their family surviving during the difficult times of no food or money. Women received the blows of discrimination in society and in the workplace, which led to a big social issue of the times of the Depression and even today.

Economic Issues

The Great Depression was a critical point of an economic downfall “...dealing with the various legacies of the depression which included long-term unemployment.” [12] The economy was in such a delicate position that the gross domestic product fell by thirty percent, and unemployment reached a high of twenty percent. Banks failed, homelessness increased, and people were placed in a panic to find ways to make ends meet. [13] With no money and no jobs to be found, people in society during these times were forced to pick up any jobs that were available. The economic crisis of the Depression was such a big social issue because it had a major negative effect on so many people. The economic crisis even had an effect on political issues, as people in politics were made accountable to try to fix the situation of the economy.

Works Cited

[1]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[2]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[3]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[4]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[5]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[6]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[7]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[8]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[9]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[10]Marshall, Bennet. Some Grow Old. Birmingham, Alabama. Federal Writers Project Papers, 1936-1940.

[11]“Women’s Work.” New York Times (1930) 286. 4 Feb 1996. ProQuest. Web. 15 July. 2021.

[12]“Lessons From the 1930s Great Depression.” Oxford Review of Economic Policy. 26:3. (pg. 285-317) 1 Oct 2010. Web.

[13]“Lessons From the 1930s Great Depression.” Oxford Review of Economic Policy. 26:3. (pg. 285-317) 1 Oct 2010. Web.

Bibliography

Scholarly:

Milkman, Ruth. “Women’s Work and Economic Crisis: Some Lessons of the Great Depression.” (pg. 71-97) 1 April 1976. Web.

“Lessons From the 1930s Great Depression.” Oxford Review of Economic Policy. 26:3. (pg. 285-317) 1 Oct 2010. Web.

“Life and Death During the Great Depression.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United State of America. 106(41): 17290–17295. 28 Sep 2009. Web.

Popular:

“Women’s Work.” New York Times (1930) 286. 4 Feb 1996. ProQuest. Web. 15 July. 2021.

“Recession With a Difference: Women Face Special Burden.” New York Times (2020-2021): 6. 8 March. 2021. Proquest. Web. 15 July 2021.