Thousands and thousands of African Americans wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt for help from 1932 to 1944.
Assume an African American character and write from the perspective of the character. What would be the obstacles faced by people of color during the Great Depression or the war years? Explain the issues in your letter and ask for specific help on those matters. Also in a separate paragraph below your letter, explain why you chose to write what you did. What inspired you to write on the topics, situations or events that were discussed in your letter?
Post your letter (in character)
One way to help you prepare for your letter is to research writing letters during the Great Depression to President and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. In addition, some websites you can look at for this Discussion: Eleanore Roosevelt and Civil Rights, George Washington University and "Please Help US Mr. President": Black Americans Write to FDR
You can also Google: "Black Americans write to Eleanor Roosevelt." You will see multiple images of actual letters written to the First Lady.
Our children, Thomas and Ruth, are a blessing, but it is hard to feed them. The government relief programs are supposed to help everyone, but here, the colored families are often turned away or given less than our white neighbors. We are told there is not enough for us. The food lines are segregated, and the rations for us are smaller. We are starving, Mrs. Roosevelt. I swallow my pride to ask for a handout, but what little they give is not enough to keep the hunger from my children's bellies.
And what good is a man’s strength when it is not respected? Just last week, a young man from our community was walking home from a job he finally found and was accosted by a mob. He had done nothing wrong. The police did nothing. It is a constant fear, the shadow of violence that follows us everywhere. We live with the knowledge that our very lives can be taken at any moment, and no one will be held accountable.
Mrs. Roosevelt, I am asking for your help. Can you use your voice to ensure that the New Deal programs are administered fairly, without regard to race? Can you encourage local officials to see our humanity, to understand that our hunger and our struggle are no different from anyone else's? We are not asking for a special privilege, only for the equal treatment that is promised to all Americans.
Please, First Lady. We are counting on you.
Yours in hope, Elijah
Why I Chose to Write This Letter
I chose to write on these topics because they represent the core, systemic obstacles faced by African Americans during the Great Depression and the war years. The letter is a composite of the very real issues and sentiments found in the historical letters written to Eleanor Roosevelt. My inspiration came from researching the actual letters, which reveal a deep sense of despair but also an unwavering faith in the First Lady as a potential ally.
The focus on economic inequality and discriminatory practices in New Deal programs was inspired by historical accounts of how African Americans were often the "last hired, first fired." The unequal distribution of relief and aid was a documented reality, creating a separate, and more dire, economic depression within the Black community. The character's appeal for fair access to these programs reflects a widespread desire for the New Deal to live up to its promise of helping all Americans.
The inclusion of racial violence and a lack of legal protection was crucial. The threat of lynching and mob violence was a constant and terrifying reality, and law enforcement often either participated in or ignored these acts. The mention of this in the letter highlights that the struggle was not just economic but existential. It adds a layer of vulnerability and urgency to the request for help, showing that even survival was not guaranteed.
Sample Answer
November 15, 1938
The First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt The White House Washington, D.C.
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt,
I am writing to you from Montgomery, Alabama, with a heavy heart and a spirit near to breaking. My name is Elijah, and I have heard that you are a kind and just woman, a friend to all people, regardless of their color. They say you listen when others turn away. I pray that is true, for our needs here are great.
The Depression has been a flood for some, but for us, it has been a tidal wave. Work is scarce. My wife, Sarah, used to be a laundress for a white family, but they let her go, saying they could not afford the help anymore. The only jobs available for men are back-breaking labor for meager pay, and when a white man comes looking for work, he is always given the job over me, no matter how hard I am willing to toil. It seems the color of a man's skin is the only qualification that matters.