This page contains Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and answers regarding notable people
in the 1930s time period.
Q: Who was Mary McLeod Bethune?
A: Mary McLeod Bethune was born in 1875 to slave
parents. She had high aspirations for education
and helping others. She was 15th of 17 children
and worked her young years picking cotton. in
South Carolina. She was the founder of the Bethune
Cookman College.
She attended a 1 room schoolhouse and was a prize
student She attained several scholarships to acquire
the rest of her education.
Married Bethune in 1898 and was teaching at this time.
A Pastor from Florida offered her a school . She did
missionary work and teaching in jails and sawmills. She
worked with young negro girls and over the next 20 years
made the school a success. as well as having built quite
a good reputation for herself. She worked to get the blacks
a vote and devoted the rest of her life to attaining a better
life for the blacks. She was recognized in many government
circles and was befriended by Eleanor Roosevelt. She died
in 1955 of a heart attack but her dedicated and tireless work
will never be forgotten in the U.S.
Q: How did Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) handle the depression?
A: FDR elected in 1932 made many decisions to
help ease the Depression. He, however, made
many deals and decisions that were non productive
and actually caused another Depression within an
existing Depression. Too much taxation, discouragement
of new money in the Stock Market tended not to be too helpful.
When the U.S. entered into the War in 194l, much of the capital
of the country was directed into munitions and many other war
related industries. When Truman came to power in the 40's
he was not as quick to discourage private investment in the
country and thus promoted a recovery from the terrible 30's.
FDR was for the most part a
good president. Every country was struggling to get their
economy going again. I believe that FDR did the very best
he could to right the financial situation in the US but as I said
before, there were those involved in the financial turnaround
that felt he did harm. I was a young girl in the 30s and we
were acutely aware that there was very little money around.
as work for my dad was scarce.
"ALL WE HAVE TO FEAR
IS FEAR ITSELF' I am sure these words encouraged many
people to believe there would be better times. A good leader
always strives to raise the confidence level of the people. I did
indeed agree with this saying bearing in mind that this could
apply to all things in life.
See also the answers on the The New Deal on the "Major Events" FAQ page.
Q: Can you talk about Adolph Hitler?
A: Volumes have been written elsewhere about this evil thug. He was a corporal in the
army in World War 1, and also a failed painter. With that on his resume he used his
powerful charisma and cunning to rise to power as the head of the Nazi party and in 1933
became the Chancellor of Germany. He was a maniacal dictator who tried to create a perfect
human race (by his definition)
Hitler then re-armed Germany in preparation for plans of world domination. This culminated in
the start of World War 2 in September of 1939 as Germany invaded Poland. Britain, France and
others were soon drawn in and eventually the United States.
Hitler's regime was responsible for the mass extermination of 6 million Jews in concentration
camps. As the Russians and Americans closed in on Berlin in April of 1945, Hitler took the
easy was out and committed suicide April 30, 1945 in his bunker.
Q: Can you tell me about Clark Gable?
A: Clark Gable was born in 1901 and died in 1960. He
Was married to Carole Lombard who died in a plane
crash. He was known as the "king of Hollywood" and
starred in some sixty odd pictures.
His most famous
role and best remembered was in "Gone With The
Wind" which was released in the late 30's. The most
memorable line from this movie was "frankly my dear
I don't give a damn" and was the first time that any type
of bad language ever appeared on the screen. He was
an extremely handsome man but won the hearts of fans
because he sold himself as just an average guy.
Q: Can you tell me about Shirley Temple?
A: She started her career taking dancing lessons and was noticed
in 1932. She was selected to play 1 reel films known as Baby
Burlesks and she would parody leading ladies in popular films.
In 1934 she played in a film called Stand Up and Cheer which
led to her making several child films. She was so popular that
she was given an Academy Award in '34. I think it was in 1938
that she was top box office.
There was Shirley Temple dolls,
clothes and coloring books. Her popularity faded by the time
she was a teenager and she left filmland at age 21. She made a
few films in the 40s, tried a couple of TV host shows that bombed.
She entered into politics in the 60s and in '68 was the U.S. rep to
the U.N. She was ambassador to a couple of eastern countries.
She married John Agar in the mid 40s. Short marriage to Agar
then in 1960 she married Charles Black.
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Last updated: December 15, 2006