By Erin Chamberlain

The role of black americans in the 1930's

● Crooks in of mice and men is the only back man in the novel. He gives us an insight to the role of black people at the time. By 1937 slavery had been abolished in USA, but black people still did not have equal rights. Crooks did not live in the bunk house with everyone else. He is isolated in another room in the barn.

● Stinebeck uses curly's wife to show the brutal and unfair power of white over black

● Crooks says “you have no right coming into a coloured man's room.” Curly’s wife replies“ you keep your place. I could get you strung up in a tree so easy it aint' even funny.”

● Crooks reduced himself to nothing “yes ma'm”

● Curly’s wife crushes Crooks pride down to his use of a respectful “yes ma'm “. She also crushed candys attempt to defend crooks. ( an act to show not all white people are against black people). This episode is especially tragic as curly's wife in other ways, is as much of a victim as crook's.

● Crooks is not a typical black man of the 1930's

● (with roots in slavery). His family used to have quite a high status before the great depression. He is still a victim of predjudice as black people were rare in this area of soledad.

● In 1932 half of black americans were out of work. Racial violence again became more common, whites called for blacks to be fired from any jobs as long as there were whites out of work. Racism was especially common in the South. Lynchings, which had declined to eight in 1932, surged to 28 in 1933.

Question's answered ● What places were blacks not allowed to enter in the 1930’s?● Mainly hotels and restaurants● Why were they not allowed to enter?● They were mainly not allowed to enter for Prejudice purposes● Why were blacks treated poorly?● Blacks were treated poorly because of there skin color● What kind of education could African Americans get?● They received poor education because most African Americans were poor and had no money

to pay for teachers and supplies. African Americans were 25% of students but only received 12% of the lessons.

● Why could African Americans not have interracial marriages with whites?● The law in the 1930’s stated that if you were black you could not see/play/marry anyone who

was white.● What jobs could African Americans get in the 1930’s?● They could generally get the same jobs, but they received less pay for there work.