What was racism like in the 1920s

Sign in Don't already have an Oxford Academic account? You could not be signed in. Sign In Forgot password? Don't have an account? Organization of American Historians members Sign in via society site. Sign in via your Institution Sign in. Purchase Subscription prices and ordering for this journal Buy the complete issue. Volume 21, Issue 3 - 24 Hours access. This article is also available for rental through DeepDyve. View Metrics. Black women have traditionally occupied a unique position in the American economic structure — at the very bottom.

The year is a unique historical moment to examine how this came to be. Economic prosperity immediately following World War I, the first wave of Black migration, and accelerating industrialization created occupational opportunities that could have enabled Black women to escape working poverty, as the majority of Black men did, but they were actively constrained.

While intersectionality studies have honed in on the unique place of Black women, little attention has been devoted to this from a historical vantage point.

This chapter examines the role that race, gender, and place played in shaping the experience of working poverty and integrates a consideration of queuing theory and Black population size to examine how variations might shape racial outcomes in the labor market in Then, as now, these issues demonstrate a similar tension between a more conservative, whiter and more patriarchal society on the one hand, and the construction of a more open, diverse and progressive society on the other.

So it is not surprising that in both eras, the tension also centers on the role of women, religion, minorities and the role of science. Those divisions seem to be neatly divided along the traditional geographic fault lines separating the rural from the urban areas, today as in the past. Certainly from an economic standpoint, rapid change spurred by technological advances has had dire consequences on the more traditional sectors: the farming and mining industries in the s, steel, textile, coal and manufacturing today.

The analogy with the s also extends to politics. For instance, the elections , just like the and elections, were notable for the electoral divide between urban and rural areas.

Both have supported protectionist measures: Hoover raised tariffs on agricultural products the Hawley-Smoot Act despite the overall condemnation of economists and members of his own party , while Trump took similar measures on metal tariffs, causing great consternation in his own party. In the s, the trade war with Europe that followed worsened the economic depression. For political scientists Stephen Skowronek , Hoover belongs to the category of presidents who signal the end of a political cycle.

Music, such as jazz, soul and blues, became popular. When jazz was banned in a number of cities, performers moved to the speakeasies. Thus, young white people were influenced by black American culture.

Their theatres attracted big audiences. Comedians, actors and dancers, such as Josephine Baker , had very successful shows. A number of musicians became very famous, including Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. Some joined black American political organisations.

There were two main groups in the s. Each one had some limited success.