Figure 1.--

Progressive Americans, including the First Lady, at the time and some historians looking back have criticised the President for the failure to address some humanitarian issues. The fact that the New Deal failed to act on issues like lynching and emmigration has to be seen with the political dynamic of the time in mind. The President to get needed support for his national security efforts needed the support of the Southern Democrats. And the the Southern Democrats were set against the two major humanitarian initiatives championed by New Deal progressives--a Federal anti lynching law and immigration reforms to offer refuge to the victims of the NAZIs. The President's inaction was undoubtedly major failures. In the environment of the 1930s, major initiatives by the Federal Government were not possible, even if this had been a major concern of the President. And civil rights was not one of his major concerns. One advance that was achieveable, however, was a Federal anti-lynching law. The continued brutal suppression of black Americans in the South was a national tragedy. And by the 1930s public attitudes outside the South were changing. Some of these incidents were being reported in considerable detail in the national press. And the New Deal had brought many individuals with progressive attitudes to the national government. The failure to take some effort to adjust American immigration law to make at least some effort to aid the victims of NAZI oppression is another national failure. NAZI brulality was well reported in the press and the outrages of attacks on Jews with the Ancshluss and Kristalnacht left now doubt about the character of the NAZI regime. At this stage the NAZIs would have allowed Jews to emigrate if they could obtain foreign visas. There is not doubt today what America should have done. The problem for President Roosevelt was that the Southern Democrats he needed to support his national security efforts were adamently opposed to both the anti-lynching bill and any effort to adjust immigration quotas. Thus what some today label are President Roosevelt's failures are in large measures the failure of the American nation. The President was operaing within the political situation in which he found himself.

Progressive Rebuke

Progressive Americans, including the First Ladt, at the time and some historians looking back have criticised the President for the failure to address some humanitarian issues. Chief among these were a Federal anti-lynching law and immigration reform, in particular measures to assist the victims of NAZI barbarity. These were issues of special interest to Mrs. Roosevelt. The President's inaction was undoubtedly major failures on his part.

Political Calulations

The fact that the New Deal failed to act on issues like lynching and emmigration has to be seen with the political dynamic of the time in mind. The President to get needed support for his national security efforts needed the support of the Southern Democrats. And the the Southern Democrats were set against the two major humanitarian initiatives championed by New Deal progressives--a Federal anti lynching law and immigration reforms.

Civil Rights

In the environment of the 1930s, major initiatives by the Federal Government were not possible, even if this had been a major concern of the President. And civil rights was not one of his major concerns. One advance that was achieveable, however, was a Federal anti-lynching law. The continued brutal suppression of black Americans in the South was a national tragedy. And by the 1930s public attitudes outside te South were changing. Some of these incidents were being reported in considerable detail in the national press. And the New Deal had brought many individuals with progressive attitudes to the national government. The anti-lynching bill had been introduced in Congress during 1934 and the influx of New Seal Semocrats mean that there were majorities in both chambers thast supported it. And it passed the House, several times. The problem was the Senate. There Southern Democrats prevented it from being brought to a vote. Th best chance for passage came in 1937 when the New Deal progrssives dominated both chambers. And as the House was beginning o consider the bill, press reports described a lynching in Duck River, Mississppi (April 1937). A racist mob seize two young black men. They dragged them into the woods, chained them to a tree, and tortured them with blow torches, actually cooking parts of their bodies. The mob taunted them as they were tortured to death. [Davis, p. 202.] The mob was oroud of their work and gruesome photographs appeared in major newspapers. The bill passed the House with a resounding 2-1 vote. Senator Robert Wagner of New York, a leading New Deal liberal, who led the fight in the Senate was optimistic about pasage. The Southern Democrats put up a furious resistance, charging that this was abother instabce of a Roosevelt dictatorship, a charge that the Court Packing effort had made te President vulnerable. He failed to intervene and the motion to invoke clocture and end the debate fell far short of the needed two-thirds majority. WAgner continued the debate. The Southern Democrats countered by holding up action on a WPA appropriations bill, of importance because of the economic down turn. Mississippi Senator Thomas Theodore Bilbo, an especially virulent racist and ardent isolationist promised a 1 month filabuster speech. [Davis, p. 204.] Finally Wagner after a 6-weel filibuster was forced to admit defeat (February, 21, 1938).

Immigration

The failure to take some effort to adjust American immigration law to make at least some effort to aid the victims of NAZI oppression is another national failure. NAZI brulality was well reported in the press and the outrages of attacks on Jews with the Ancshluss and Kristalnacht left now doubt about the character of the NAZI regime. At this stage the NAZIs would have allowed Jews to emigrate if they could obtain foreign visas. There is not doubt today what America should have done. The problem for President Roosevelt was that the Southern Democrats he needed to support his national security efforts were adamently opposed to both the anti-lynching bill and any effort to adjust immigration quotas.

America's Moral Failure

The question arrises as just who was responsible for these morl failures. And they were clear moral failures. Few Americns today can look back and not wish that the country had acted with more compassion and moral courafe. And the President has gto share some responsibility. But the President was acting within the Americn political environment as it existed at the time. Thus what some today label are President Roosevelt's failures are in large measures the failure of the American nation. The President was operaing within the political situation in which he found himself.

Assessment

It is easy today to criticize President Roosevelt for what he did not do. Eleanor certainly did. It is, however, also also unimaginable to consider the consequences if he had failed to defeat the isolationists. Looking back it seems to us a foregone conclusion that the President would defet the Isolationists. The danger from the NAZIs and Japanese seemsso obvious and the nature of the regimes so malevolent. But this was not the situation in the 1930s and even in the early 1940s before Pearl Harbor. Some of the key votes, especially on the draft were razor thin. The calculations are stark. As terriblre as lynching was, the number of indicuals murdered were very small compared to what was going n in Europe. The same is true of immigration quotas. Even if America had allowed a few thousand additional immigrants, the impact would have been relatively minor. What was significant was military preparadness. The Allied victory in Europe saved half of the continents Jews. America's failure to preare could have brought military defeat and deaths in utold millions or at least a delay in victory and deaths of hundreds of thousands if not millions of additional NAZI and Japanese victims. These are horrifying assessments, but any criticism of the the President's humanitarian failures has to address these simple stark calculations.

Sources

Black, Conrad. Franklin Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom (Public Affairs: New York, 2003), 1280p.

Davis, Kenneth S. FDR: Into the Storm, 1937-1940 (Random House: New York, 1993), 691p.

Freidel, Frank. Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Rendezvous with Destiny (Little Brown: Boston, 1990), 710p

Tugwell, Rexford. The Democratic Roosevelt (New York, 1957).

Created: 7:21 AM 7/25/2006
Last updated: 11:08 PM 7/25/2006