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Texas History

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Texas History

The Depression increased Texas youth unemployment. In 1932, it was 23.6%. It

peaked at around 25% in 1933. Unemployment reached nearly 15 million, the highest rate in

US history (Campbell, 2003). The Great Depression harmed Pete Hernandez, a 1929

graduate. In a bad economy with few jobs, Hernandez and his peers' challenges grew. As the

1930s began, Hernandez found work as a butcher, a job he described as torturous (K-20

Education, 2021). As the country sank deeper into depression, President Roosevelt decided to

use unemployed young men to further conservation programs through the Civilian

Conservation Corps. This had two effects: lowering unemployment and raising conservation

awareness.

The New Deal in Texas sought to re-establish employment. A legal system that

protects the interests of all Americans, rich or poor, and thus improves business efficiency.

One example was the National Industrial Recovery Act. During the Great Depression, Texas

Highway Department faced new challenges. Despite the social issues, Texas roads changed

and improved. Without federal aid, Texas would have struggled to maintain a road building

program during the Great Depression (Campbell, 2003). To stimulate the economy and create

jobs, Roosevelt launched his New Deal policies. Texas benefited greatly from President

Roosevelt's road building policies.

Industrialization opened doors for many Texans. Despite the hardships of factory life,

people left their farms for various reasons. Some could benefit from the financial and social

mobility afforded by urban wage labor. Industrialization destroyed communities and culture.

Rural life was upended by the mass migration of rural residents to factories in cities. Villages

remained stable due to extended family groups. Community and family members acted as a

safety net. Despite racial oppression in the form of slavery, segregation, and violence,

African American Texans have contributed significantly to Texas' history and culture
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(Bullock Museum, n.d.). In Sweatt v. Painter, the Supreme Court ruled that the Equal

Protection Clause required Sweatt's university admission. The court ruled that the University

of Texas Law School and its law school for blacks were a gross mismatch.

Traditional social and political conceptions of democracy were upended by the Great

Depression and New Deal government expansion. Men and women's sport leaders

strategically asserted their dreams of sport democracy in order to advance their own

definitions of democracy in college sports (Austin, 2015). The growth of college sports in the

1920s prompted universities to build stadiums that could accommodate large crowds.

Maintaining football and maximizing its commercial value during the Great Depression were

necessary to justify these sunk costs. Despite the opposition, these programs were a huge

success, and as a result, college sports have become a much more important part of university

life since the Great Depression.

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References

Austin, B. (2015). Democratic Sports: Men's and Women's College Athletics during the

Great Depression. University of Arkansas Press.

Bullock Museum. (n.d.). The African American Story | Texas State History Museum. The

Story of Texas. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from

https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/campfire-stories/african-americans

Campbell, R. B. (2003). Gone to Texas: a history of the Lone Star State. Oxford University

Press.

K-20 Education. (2021). The Corps at the Canyon – Nature, Culture and History at the

Grand Canyon. Grca History. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from

https://grcahistory.org/k-20-education/university-courses/history-300/the-corps-at-

the-canyon/