- Series: American Made Music Series
- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: University Press of Mississippi; 1St Edition edition (March 1, 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0878059385
- ISBN-13: 978-0878059386
Prior to the long presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, black Americans
largely voted Republican. Guido Van Rijn's analyzes blues and gospel
lyrics that contained social and political comments to shed light on the
question of why Roosevelt became so popular among blacks. Roosevelt's
Blues is a uniquely fascinating blend of blues lyrics and political
history that will appeal to a wide range of readers.
The chapters need not be read in sequence; the reader can skip to topics of special interest, like Got a Job on the WPA, or The Scottsboro Boys, or Uncle Sam is Calling. The blues lyrics are entertaining in themselves, but more importantly they provide a deeper, more personal insight into the Great Depression that is often missing from standard accounts.
The chapters address key events from 1929-1945 including the hard times of the Hoover days (1929-31), the first relief efforts through the Red Cross stores (1933), the CWA (1934), the bonus payment and the PWA (1936), the WPA projects (1937), the draft (1940), the approach of war (1941), Pearl Harbor (1942), wartime rationing (1943), and FDR's death (1945). The last chapter summarizes the conclusions of Van Rijn's analysis.
Van Rijn enhanced his text with numerous lyrics, record labels, and historical photographs. An appendix includes extensive notes, a bibliography, a song index, and a discography.
A suggestion to history teachers: To many students the 1920s and 1930s are only vaguely known as those decades bounded by two world wars. The chapters on the Depression years in most standard high school and first year college textbooks are perhaps notable for being somewhat uninteresting. Van Rijn's Roosevelt's Blues could enliven classroom discussions, as well as serve as a good example of political and social research. Roosevelt's Blues also demonstrates that reading history can prove fascinating and enjoyable.
The chapters need not be read in sequence; the reader can skip to topics of special interest, like Got a Job on the WPA, or The Scottsboro Boys, or Uncle Sam is Calling. The blues lyrics are entertaining in themselves, but more importantly they provide a deeper, more personal insight into the Great Depression that is often missing from standard accounts.
The chapters address key events from 1929-1945 including the hard times of the Hoover days (1929-31), the first relief efforts through the Red Cross stores (1933), the CWA (1934), the bonus payment and the PWA (1936), the WPA projects (1937), the draft (1940), the approach of war (1941), Pearl Harbor (1942), wartime rationing (1943), and FDR's death (1945). The last chapter summarizes the conclusions of Van Rijn's analysis.
Van Rijn enhanced his text with numerous lyrics, record labels, and historical photographs. An appendix includes extensive notes, a bibliography, a song index, and a discography.
A suggestion to history teachers: To many students the 1920s and 1930s are only vaguely known as those decades bounded by two world wars. The chapters on the Depression years in most standard high school and first year college textbooks are perhaps notable for being somewhat uninteresting. Van Rijn's Roosevelt's Blues could enliven classroom discussions, as well as serve as a good example of political and social research. Roosevelt's Blues also demonstrates that reading history can prove fascinating and enjoyable.
Post a Comment