Days of Hope: Race and Democracy in the New Deal Era

by Patricia Sullivan

In the 1930s and 1940s, a loose alliance of blacks and whites, individuals and organizations, came together to offer a radical alternative to southern conservative politics. In Days of Hope , Patricia Sullivan traces the rise and fall of this movement. Using oral interviews with participants in this movement as well as documentary sources, she demonstrates that the New Deal era inspired a coalition of liberals, black activists, labor organizers, and Communist Party workers who sought to secure the New Deal's social and economic reforms by broadening the base of political participation in the South. From its origins in a nationwide campaign to abolish the poll tax, the initiative to expand democracy in the South developed into a regional drive to register voters and elect liberals to Congress. The NAACP, the CIO Political Action Committee, and the Southern Conference for Human Welfare coordinated this effort, which combined local activism with national strategic planning. Although it dramatically increased black voter registration and led to some electoral successes, the movement ultimately faltered, according to Sullivan, because the anti-Communist fervor of the Cold War and a militant backlash from segregationists fractured the coalition and marginalized southern radicals. Nevertheless, the story of this campaign invites a fuller consideration of the possibilities and constraints that have shaped the struggle for racial democracy in America since the 1930s.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Race, American History, 20th Century

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 1996

Reviews

[Kristine Lenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really useful in terms of information, but pretty hard to get through.

[Jessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a Civil Rights class, and I was changed. Everyone hates history books, but I was enamored by this one. The way Sullivan writes her sentences pieces the story together seamlessly. Sometime i would have to reread the same sentence for a few minutes to fully comprehend the total meaning. It may have been annoying or exhausting at some points, but it was worth it in the end. I couldnt get enough of the never-ending hope. This story is so important because the Civil Rights movement we know would have never happened without these strong figures and movements in the 302-40s. Having grown up in Texas, my understanding of what the 20th-century American politics looked like was abysmal. This opened my eyes to the pieces I have been missing. It was almost relieving to have the story be told in such a straightforward and seamless way. I learned so many new things that I will genuinely come back to as I go on to where I fall in politics. I loved the amount of detail poured into every person, event, and story. It paints a broad and specific picture. What sticks with me the most is the power of enfranchisement, coalitions, and unions. More specifically, coordination, organization, and partnership. I will forever be inspired by the ambition, drive, and action taken by black liberals. I have even noticed my writing ability has changed after I read this. Its beautifully worded and very informative.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of history that I was never taught and did not know

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think the author could have made this any more boring. Also, poorly organized.