THE "BLACK CABINET" OF PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT.   Term Paper ID:30028 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines FDR's informal "black cabinet," the people who served in it and its importance to national culture.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines FDR's informal "black cabinet," the people who served in it, and its importance to national culture. New Deal reforms & black support. Black leaders who advised FDR. The President's motive in using black advisers: to use their ideas to remedy racism & to rely on their opinion on a wide number of other issues. Diversity of "black cabinet." Contribution of educator Mary McLeon Bethune & others. Gains made by the NAACP, National Urban League & National Council of Negro Women as a legacy of the "black cabinet." Paper Introduction: With the entrance of each new administration we now hear about the importance of making the president’s cabinet “look like America”. That resemblance is never actually achieved, of course, if only because each American has a different idea of what it is that America really looks like. But amid the complex politics of inclusion – at least when a Democrat is in the White House it is easy to overlook how far it is that we have actually come just over the course of the 20th century in terms of acknowledging that the differing experiences of different racial groups are all valid and that they must be included in an administration if the country is to be well run. Many people deserve credit for bringing African-American voices into the mainstream of the national political process. But one of the people who deserves a fair measure of credit is often forgo Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. (1982). Hastie, who in 1937 became the firstblack federal judge; Eugene K. Thatresemblance is never actually achieved, of course, if only because eachAmerican has a different idea of what it is that America really looks like.But amid the complex politics of inclusion - at least when a Democrat is inthe White House it is easy to overlook how far it is that we have actuallycome just over the course of the 2 th century in terms of acknowledgingthat the differing experiences of different racial groups are all valid andthat they must be included in an administration if the country is to bewell run. Hastie served as a civilian aide toSecretary of War Henry L. 113). Other areas of activity haveincluded political action to secure enactment of civil-rights laws,programs of education and public information to win popular support, anddirect action to achieve specific goals. Weaveralso served as chair of the National Association for the Advancement ofColored People (NAACP). 31). In 1939 the NAACP Legal Defenseand Education Fund was established independently of the NAACP to act as thelegal arm of the Civil Rights Movement, and it was the NAACP's legalcouncil that carried to the Supreme Court the case (Brown v. He served onthe appellate court bench for twenty-one years (Mier, 1982, p. Robert L. Robert L. Jones, another of Roosevelt's advisors, was one of theorganizers of the National Urban League, a voluntary-service agencydedicated to eliminating racial segregation and discrimination and helpingblacks and other minorities to participate in American life (McGuire, 1988,p. In 1937, Roosevelt appointed Hastie judge of the Federal DistrictCourt in the Virgin Islands and when he was confirmed to the job on March26, 1937, he became the nation's first African-American federal magistrate.Although the Virgin Islands were ninety percent black, no person of Africandescent before Hastie had been appointed to a federal judgeship (Mier,1982, p. Women's Army Corps. During World War II, Hastie served From 1941 to 1943, William H. (1989). It is important to reiterate the gains made by such groups as theNAACP, the National Urban League and the National Council of Negro Womenbecause they are in many ways the most important legacy of the members ofRoosevelt's black Cabinet. (1988). This paper examines his "black Cabinet"and the people in it and the lasting importance of such an informalorganization on the national culture. Black leaders of the twentieth century. One of the founders of The Pittsburgh Courier which wasincorporated March 1 , 191 , he became editor of The Courier three yearslater. Many people deserve credit for bringing African-American voices intothe mainstream of the national political process. Bethune -probably the best known now of all of these figures - was the daughter offormer slaves who, after graduating from Scotia Seminary in Concord, NorthCarolina, in 1893, and from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1895became a teacher. Vann rose from the obscurity of a backwoods farm in NorthCarolina to become the internationally known publisher and editor of ThePittsburgh Courier. Truman, againthe highest judicial position attained by an African American. 127). (1994). 186). However, Vann himself believed that his work as a politician wasmore central to his goals in life (Buni, 1989, p. And on October 15, 1949, he was nominated judge of the ThirdUnited States Circuit Court of Appeals by President Harry S. Bethune's ability to advise Roosevelt on a number of different issues- including those involving gender and race - and her commitment to theimportance of education to all Americans and especially to minorities hasensured her a lasting place among influential figures of the 2 th century. degrees from Harvard University and began his government careerin 1933 as adviser on black affairs in the Department of the Interior. Following Roosevelt's election in 1932, Hastie was one of thebright young African Americans who achieved high visibility as a racerelations advisor to the Roosevelt administration and in 1933, Hastie lefthis private law practice to accept the position of assistant solicitor ofthe Department of the Interior and gain formal status in the administration(Mier, 1982, p. ReferencesBuni, A. New York: Holloway House. With the entrance of each new administration we now hear about theimportance of making the president's cabinet "look like America". Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Nov. 38). Urbana: University of Illinois.Poole, B. 7, 19 4, William Henry Hastiewas educated as a child in Knoxville and Washington D.C. 21). Vann moved to Pittsburgh 19 3 to enter the Universityof Pittsburgh; he would graduate in 19 9 with both his BA and law degree.In 1933 he was named a special assistant Attorney-General by Roosevelt(Buni, 1989, p. Vann is probably better known for his work as a journalist than forhis political role. and attendedAmherst College, from which he graduated first in his class and laterearned a law degree from Harvard (Mier, 1982, p. 184). Although it might be tempting to look at thesignificance of these men and women as a passing one, a symbol offered toblacks in lieu of actual empowerment or inclusion, in fact by relying sovery publicly on each of these people and making it clear that they werethe counselors to a president, Roosevelt did improve their ability to getthings done, and their legacies - both as individuals and through suchorganizations as the NAACP - have made gains that are far from symbolic. Among them were the educatorMary McLeod Bethune, who served as the National Youth Administration'sdirector of Negro affairs; William H. The diversity of the members of this informal cabinet helps exemplifythe range of issues that Franklin could consult with them about. Theblack leaders who were members of the so-called "black Cabinet" werefrequent and trusted advisors to Roosevelt. A. Weaver (Mier, 1982, p. The organization continues to try to improve the daily lives ofAfrican-Americans. 47). Shewas an adviser on minority affairs to Roosevelt and assisted the secretaryof war in selecting officer candidates for the U.S. In 19 4 Bethune moved to the east coast of Florida, where lived alarge African-American population, and established a school of her own, theDaytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls. Johnson from 1966 through 1968.As head of the new department, Weaver became the first African-AmericanCabinet member in United States history (McGuire, 1988, p. Bethune's efforts on behalf of education and of improved racialrelations brought her to national prominence, and in 1936 Rooseveltappointed her as the administrative assistant for Negro affairs (a titlechanged in 1939 to director of the division of Negro affairs) of theNational Youth Administration, a post she held until 1944. Stimson, but resigned the job in 1943 as aprotest against policies of segregation and discrimination in America'sarmed forces. Fourteenorganizations sent delegates to the founding meeting of the NCNW, and theorganization grew to represent more than 35 national and 25 communityaffiliations and millions of individual women (Poole, 1994, p. Board ofEducation of Topeka) that resulted in the high court's landmark 1954 school-desegregation decision (Buni, 1989, p. Judge Hastie served on the bench for two years beforeresigning his judgeship to return to Howard University's School of Law asdean and professor of law. In 1935 shefounded the National Council of Negro Women, of which she remainedpresident until 1949, and she was vice president of the NationalAssociation for the Advancement of Colored People from 194 to 1955. 47). in 19 7, Robert C. From1961 to 1966 he served as administrator of the federal Housing and HomeFinance Agency before serving as secretary of the Department of Housing andUrban Development under President Lyndon B. 27). Born in Washington D.C. Since its founding, the NAACP has beenmost successful in the areas of legal redress. The National Council of Negro Women is not very well known today, butit was an important organization for many black women with its mission "toadvance opportunities and the quality of life for African American women,their families and communities" (Poole, 1994, p. 121). But one of the people whodeserves a fair measure of credit is often forgotten in the midst of thesubstantial achievements of later civil rights leaders. Roosevelt gathered theseadvisors for two distinct although not unrelated reasons: He wanted to usetheir ideas to try to remedy the racism of the country and he simply valuedtheir intelligence, their experience, and their opinion on a wide number ofissues, including but never limited to race (Poole, 1994, p. The NAACP is an interracial organization created to work for theabolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education,employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism; and to ensureblacks their constitutional rights. Disappointed with the lack of unity and cooperation between AfricanAmerican women's groups, Bethune called upon their leaders to create acohesive body that would express the concerns and beliefs of AfricanAmerican women in regard to national and international affairs. But his role in public life was hardly over: On May 7, 1946,Hastie was inaugurated as the first African-American governor of the VirginIslands. Having virtuallyno assets with which to start, she worked tirelessly to build aschoolhouse, solicit help and contributions, and enlist the goodwill ofboth the African-American and white communities while also serving as ateacher (Poole, 1994, p. 63). New York: Greenwood.Mier, A. New Dealreforms had strengthened black support for the Democratic party and blacksand other Democrats began to find common ground in a number of areas. 191). He, too, spoke for democracy. 117). 119). The organization continues with its original grassroots approach,encouraging advocacy through the publication of journals, annual BlackFamily Reunion Celebrations that present workshops and exhibits tocelebrate and strengthen African American families; National Centers forAfrican American Women that work to empower African-American women in theworkforce and in their communities; the Research, Public Policy andInformation Center, which provides information on issues affecting AfricanAmerican women; and others (Poole, 1994, p. But Franklin DelanoRoosevelt must also receive credit. Mary McLeod Bethune/Educator. Vann of the Pittsburgh Courier: Politics and black journalism. Chicago: University of Chicago.McGuire, P. Roosevelt's reliance on black leaders came about in large measurebecause his administration's accessibility to black leaders. Jones, executive secretary of the NationalUrban League; Robert Vann, editor of the Pittsburgh Courier; and theeconomist Robert C. Eugene K. Weaver received B.S., M.A.,and Ph.D. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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